Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 29 Feb 1996

Vol. 462 No. 4

Written Answers. - Tribunal Legal Fees.

Bertie Ahern

Ceist:

29 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if the State is declining to pay the fees of counsel to the Goodman Group in the Beef Tribunal; and, if so, the basis on which this decision was made. [2974/96]

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

55 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the claims that have been submitted to date arising out of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the Beef Processing Industry; the total amount sought by solicitors representing clients involved in the Beef Tribunal; the moneys sought by each solicitor for their clients; the names of the companies and solicitors acting and names of the clients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1791/96]

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

99 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the legal teams and the participants in each team in relation to the Tribunal of Inquiry into the Beef Processing Industry; the interests they represented; the fees and expenses claimed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4718/96]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 55 and 99 together.

A total of 77 costs orders were made by Mr. Justice Hamilton granting costs, from various dates, to 75 counsel and 77 solicitors. He specified in each order the number of counsel and solicitors to be paid.

The procedure in relation to these orders is that those claiming costs, or cost accountants, acting on their behalf must submit bills to a Taxing Master of the High Court.

The hearing by the Taxing Master began on 11 October and the State is being represented at this hearing by Mr. Peter Fitzpatrick, legal cost accountant, who is being instructed by the Office of the Chief State Solicitor.

Following the hearing by the Taxing Master it remains open to the State to raise objections to the amounts awarded if necessary by way of appeals to the High Court and Supreme Court.

The taxation of the costs relating to Laurence Goodman and Goodman International was stayed under the order of Mr. Justice Lavan of 20 November 1995 granting the Minister for Finance leave to apply for judicial review in respect of a ruling made by the Taxing Master on 1 November 1995 with regard to the interpretation of the order of the tribunal.

The judgment of the court, given on 9 February 1996, was that costs could only be paid in respect of witnesses who actually gave oral evidence.

To date 21 bills of approximately £10.532 million have been lodged with the Office of the Chief State Solicitor or the Taxing Master. Of these 11 have been referred back to the claimants to present their bills in a proper format for taxing. I am circulating a table showing details of the name of the claimant and the amount being claimed.

An index of all the costs orders made by the beef tribunal is contained in Chapter 26 of the report of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the Beef Processing Industry and in appendix three of the same document a list of all the legal representation before the tribunal is given.

Name	Amount
Dermot Hanley	641.30
Norish Plc	1,258.00
Purcell Foods	1,875.50
Freshland	2,117.50
Baltinglass Meats Ltd.	2,207.50
Continental Beef Packers Ltd.	2,359.50
Continental Beef Packers Ltd.	3,991.49
J. O'Callaghan	4,446.75
CH Foods Ltd.	4,961.00
Sean Sheelan/Kevin J. McDonald	5,511.95
M. Sargent	5,556.00
Godson Sunday Tribunal	5,793.50
Angela McGee: AIBP Cloghran	9,152.03
Imelda Murray: Dalteena Traders	9,152.03
V. Broderick/C Peyron	12,925.00
Master/Classic Meats	16,220.00
Laurence Goodman Export Credit	935,694.92
Goodman International Export Credit	1,062,050.77
Mac Giolla/Rabbitte	1,361,271.12
Goodman International	3,469,608.67
Laurence Goodman	3,618,045.39
Total	10,534,849.92