Mahon Tribunal final cost could top €250m

The final cost of the Mahon Tribunal could top €250m and see lawyers and witnesses claim fees for years to come.

Fri, 16 Mar, 2012 - 00:00

Juno McEnroe, Political Reporter

The tribunal, which held its last public sitting in 2008, is running up costs of over €50,000 a week, or €7,749 a day. The report is expected to be published as early as next week.

Despite paying out €97m to date, the head of the Department of Environment, which oversees the funding of the inquiry, has admitted that no definitive estimate is available on the tribunal’s final cost but, based on calculations, would cost somewhere between €240m and €250m.

The head of the tribunal, Judge Alan Mahon, has also previously said the inquiry could cost €300m

Department secretary general Geraldine Tallon said there were “significant costs” still to emerge from third-party claims on behalf of witnesses and lawyers. Up to 400 witnesses appeared before the inquiry, but only 87 claims have been processed to date relating to hearings before 2002. Just 71 of these have been settled and have cost over €14m.

Several TDs expressed concern that no final estimate was available and that the inquiry was still running up significant costs.

Up to €30m in contingency funds have been set aside for the inquiry this year. However, despite the fact the inquiry has held no public sittings in four years, it is still running up significant costs.

Ms Tallon told the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the cost of the tribunal, including administration and internal legal fees, between January and March 13, was €557,996.

This includes €312,000 in administration costs and €184,000 in internal legal fees. This means that it is costing €7,749 to run the inquiry per day or over €54,000 a week.

Fees for the inquiry’s three judges, in addition to this, were not available yesterday.

It has 28 staff, many of whom may not be needed after the final report on planning corruption and payments to politicians is released, explained Ms Tallon.

Ms Tallon said the tribunal had successfully, on average, argued down the cost of fees and expense claims by 30% so far.

She agreed with Independent TD Shane Ross that she was just ‘signing a cheque’ when it came to the tribunal’s costs and their operation was independent of the department’s.

She agreed with TDs that it was “absolutely impossible” to say what legal bills could be.

A number of TDs suggested at PAC that the Mahon report could be published next week.

Top earners

Top 10 earners at tribunal (1997 to Jan 31, 2012):

* Patricia Dillon SC €5.59m

* Patrick Quinn SC €5.33m

* Desmond O’Neill SC €5.27m

* Eunice O’Raw €4.2m

* John Gallagher SC €3.43m

* Henry R Murphy SC €2.33m

* Annette Foley JC €2.84m

* Susan Gilvarry, solicitor, €2.36m