Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will confirm that a tender competition was recently held to appoint presenting officers to attend hearings of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal; the publications and website on which this competition was advertised; the costs involved; the number of tenders received; the number of those interviewed by the selection board; the names of the members of the selection board and the fees and expenses they were paid; the name of the successful applicant; if they are solicitors or barristers; if those people are being or have been appointed as staff members of his Department or the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner; if they have been appointed or will be appointed authorised officers under the Refugee Act 1996; if so, the date of same; if the successful appointees are able to sub-contract work to another solicitor or barrister or legal firms; if they are able to provide services to asylum applications before the Refugee Appeals Tribunal; the schedule of fees being paid; if they have been reduced in view of the statement (details supplied) of 3 February 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12879/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 232 on 3 March 2009. At the time of my reply, the matter of the application of the Government decision relating to professional fees to the schedule of fees payable to Presenting Panel members was under examination. I can now confirm that the schedule of fees applicable to the Panel has been reduced in line with the Government Decision.