The high level of fees paid to tribunal lawyers is a "huge scandal" which should be investigated, according to the chairman of the Dail Committee on Public Accounts, Mr Jim Mitchell.
The Fine Gael TD was responding yesterday to an assertion by the High Court Taxing Master, Mr James Flynn, that the tribunals of inquiry have become the "Frankenstein" of Irish society.
Mr Mitchell said it must not be forgotten that it was the Taxing Master himself who set the tribunal lawyers' fees. He found Mr Flynn's comments "interesting" in that he omitted one important element: "It is he who has power over what fees the legal profession get from the tribunals."
Mr Flynn said on Wednesday that the tribunals had turned into the "Frankenstein of the modern Irish society, usually sending panic attacks to all who may likely be called to give evidence whether or not they have anything to fear."
He criticised the Oireachtas for being too quick to set up tribunals and hoped lessons would be learned and that politicians in future would not "rush into a protracted and costly method of correcting improprieties" without exploring other cost-effective methods".
Mr Mitchell said: "I am delighted in one way that the Taxing Master has raised his head above the parapet. We should now put this issue of legal fees on the agenda and ask why we are paying out these huge sums of money.
"In my personal view the level of fees is a huge scandal. There is a lot of exasperation among the public that we have too many tribunals, but they have done a lot to bring information out from under the carpet."
He added: " There would not be the same outcry if fees were properly controlled."
The Taxing Master made his controversial remarks when awarding costs estimated at £350,000 to the family of former Taoiseach Mr Charles Haughey for their legal bills in successfully challenging some of the personal finance demands of the Moriarty tribunal. Tribunals of inquiry could and did deny basic fundamental rights, he said.
The deputy leader of the Labour Party, Mr Brendan Howlin, has said that as a public servant Mr Flynn should not seek to undermine the tribunals of inquiry set up by the Oireachtas.