Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Feb 1993

Vol. 426 No. 1

Written Answers. - Beef Tribunal Cost.

Tony Gregory

Question:

131 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the cost to date of the Beef Tribunal; the number of members of the legal profession, solicitors, barristers, junior and senior counsel engaged; and the total amounts paid to each to date on an individual basis.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. J. Walsh)

The total cost to my Department of the Beef Tribunal at 31 January 1993 was £4.8 million.

My Department has sanction to pay the legal fees of Counsel for State and Counsel for Tribunal only. The total paid to date and the numbers involved are as follows:

Counsel for State

2 Senior Counsel

2 Junior Counsel

Counsel for Tribunal

2 Senior Counsel

2 Junior Counsel

The Chief State Solicitor's Office is providing service for both the State and the Tribunal as follows:

1 Deputy Assistant Chief State Solicitor

1 Assistant Solicitor

1 Legal Staff Officer

The legal fees which have been fixed by the Chief State Solicitor's Office are as follows:

Senior Counsel £1,890 per diem

Junior Counsel £1,260 per diem

The total amount of legal fees paid to date by my Department is £2.9 million.

The total number of members of the legal profession engaged in Tribunal work is 116 of which there are 31 Senior Counsel, 39 Barristers at Law and 46 Solicitors.

My Department does not have information on the fees paid to members of the legal profession engaged by other parties at the Tribunal and the question of how these are to be met will be a matter ultimately for the Chairman.