Most of the €20 million spent to date on the Dunne inquiry into organ retention has gone on legal fees, figures provided by the Department of Health have revealed.
A breakdown of spending on the inquiry by the Department yesterday showed €10.8 million has gone on fees, salaries and administration.
A further €5 million was paid to the Eastern Regional Health Authority to pay staff at a number of hospitals to work on the discovery of documents and to pay legal teams for hospitals.
Some €800,942 also went to Kelly Noone Solicitors which acted for Parents for Justice, the body representing families of those whose organs were removed by hospitals without consent, up to late 2002.
Just over €2.29 million was the cost of establishing the inquiry and renting premises for it.
A grant of some €977,210 was also given to Parents for Justice.
The inquiry, set up four years ago and chaired by Ms Anne Dunne SC, is to be closed down in less than five weeks.
It has yet to produce a substantive report. A report on its investigation of practices at paediatric hospitals was due last December but it was not produced.
It is believed if the inquiry hasn't produced a report by March 31st, the Department of Health is considering asking an expert to produce a report based on information gathered by the current inquiry.
Asked to comment on the amount of money spent on the inquiry, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney, said it would be wrong of her to comment on the inquiry per se but the Government had made a decision it be brought to a conclusion.
"Clearly I'm awaiting the end of March before we make any decisions in relation to a way forward," she said.