Refugee Appeals Tribunal barrister paid over €620,000

One barrister has received payments in excess of €620,000 over the past five years for work as a member of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.

Figures provided by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter show Michelle O’Gorman received €623,862 for work on the tribunal between 2008 and last year.

The figures show that the Ennis-based barrister worked on 1,358 cases before the tribunal over the period, with her fees working out at an average of €460 a case.

One of the other top earners is former Fianna Fáil minister for foreign affairs David Andrews SC, who received €260,363 in relation to 460 cases over the period.

The tribunal was established in 2000 to hear appeals of asylum seekers who had their applications rejected. However, payments have fallen off significantly with the declining numbers seeking asylum in Ireland.

The figures show that last year barristers received an aggregate €324,395 compared to €1.67 million in 2009.