Tribunal barristers earn up to €2,500 a day

BARRISTERS working for tribunals of inquiry earn more in three days than old age pensioners receive in a year, Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy told the Dáil yesterday.

As the total cost to the tax payer of completed and sitting tribunals reaches almost €140 million, Mr McCreevy said he was concerned that the cost of paying third party legal fees was about to dramatically increase.

The State has already paid legal costs of €25.5m to cover the cost of third party legal costs awarded at three completed tribunals a figure that represents 68% of the total cost of the tribunals themselves.