Tribunals should continue work but not on new issues, says Taoiseach

Major issues of public controversy should be completed in the ongoing tribunals, but it was not the wish of the Oireachtas that they should go on "ad nauseam into other new and more current areas", the Taoiseach has said.

Otherwise "the process might still be continuing in 15 years' time".

Mr Ahern was speaking during Question Time in the Dáil, when he told the Opposition that the Moriarty tribunal had cost €14,406,811 since it was set up in 1997 and €10,690,167 of this was paid in fees to the tribunal's counsel.

Senior counsel received €2,500 a day but "if we want the best people to participate as counsel at the tribunals this is the cost that must be paid". If they were involved in normal practice, they would earn these or even higher rates of pay.

The Fine Gael leader Mr Enda Kenny asked why the costs for running the tribunal would rise from €3.7 million to €10.3 million for 2004.

Mr Ahern said the provision was made on the basis of previous tribunals when "practically everyone has been awarded costs".

Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) said the fees paid to counsel were for trials that last two to three weeks not years.

Mr Kenny said that issues could be dealt with more cheaply and effectively in private, rather than having up to 20 or 30 legal personnel represented at public sittings.

Mr Ahern said that the cost per day was "only a fraction of the costs". He said it was impossible to predict what costs would be awarded and to whom, but the annual administrative cost of running the Moriarty tribunal was €3.7 million.

Asked by Mr Kenny, how long the tribunal would last, Mr Ahern said that "it will take as long as it takes".

When the Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, asked if there were "circumstances where the Government would move to foreshorten the Moriarty or any other tribunal", Mr Ahern said that "there are various modules which have to be investigated, some of which have been completed, while others have yet to be carried out. I believe we must complete that process before we reflect on it."

He pointed out that the tribunals were established by the Oireachtas, "with huge support and broad terms of reference. However, in many cases, vague terms of reference have allowed for extensions".

But he was "opposed to short-circuiting some aspects of the tribunals because this would create many problems and much cynicism. It will be a different process for future tribunals and inquiries."