Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 November 2016
97. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the costs incurred to date under headings such as office accommodation, legal expenses, salaries and so on for each commission of investigation formally established since 2012 by her Department; the estimated final cost; the expected completion date of the commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35651/16]
View answerSince 2012, two commissions of investigations were established under the remit of my Department:
- The MacLochlainn Commission of Investigation was established under SI No 346 of 2014 to undertake a thorough investigation of the fatal shooting of Mr Ronan MacLochlainn by members of the Garda Síochána in the course of an attempted armed robbery of a Securicor van in Co. Wicklow in May 1998.
- The O'Higgins Commission of Investigation was established under SI No 38 of 2015 to investigate and report on certain matters relative to the Cavan/Monaghan Division of the Garda Síochána.
The costs to date of these commissions are set out in the attached table. The administration costs include matters relating to the running of the Commissions, such as rent, equipment and salaries. Both sole members were paid at the rate of a High Court Judge and in the case of Judge O'Higgins, pension abatement applied. The cost of the Commissions' legal teams are separately itemised.
|
Commission of Investigation |
Administration
€ |
Commission legal team
€ |
Witness legal costs and expenses € |
Overall Cost
€ |
|
MacLochlainn Commission |
€591,960 |
€236,775 |
€320,922 |
€1,149,657 |
|
O’Higgins Commission |
€773,932 |
€553,974 |
€449,449 |
€1,777,355 |
The above costs are provisional. The final report of the MacLochlainn Commission has not yet issued due to legal proceedings having been taken by one party before the Commission. The O'Higgins Commission reported on 25 April 2016 and costs relating to it have been paid, including third party costs. I should mention that the Guidelines setting out the rates for legal costs for witnesses and others incurred in connection with the Commission are the subject of a Judicial review by one of the parties.
