THE architect who worked on the extension to Mr Michael Lowry's home has still not been paid in full, the tribunal was told. Mr Peter Stevens said he had written off the outstanding payment after efforts to pursue the matter with Dunnes Stores and Mr Lowry himself proved unfruitful.
Mr Stevens told counsel for the tribunal, Mr Anthony Aston BL, that as well as doing work for Dunnes Stores itself, he had also been hired on occasion by the company for private work.
However, apart from Mr Lowry, such work had only been for people who were "very closely part of Dunnes Stores", and in that sense the work he was asked to do for Mr Lowry was exceptional.
Mr Ben Dunne had asked him to meet Mr Lowry to discuss his requirements. The £216,000 budget would have come from preliminary estimates from the quantity surveyor. But the budget was in fact flexible. The cost finally came to £395,000 and he understood this had been paid by Dunnes Stores.
Mr Stevens said he received the first two instalments of his fee, which came to £6,479 and £6,830 respectively. The last payment was made in March 1993, and when he attempted to get the remainder of the fee, Mr Ben Dunne had left the company.
The arrangement had been that he would be paid by Dunnes Stores. But when he failed to get the money from the company, he approached Mr Lowry
Asked by Mr Aston if this approach was fruitful, Mr Stevens said: "No."
Mr Stevens told counsel for Mr Lowry, Mr Donal O'Donnell SC, that Mr Lowry would not have known that the cost of the work on his house was to be charged to work on Dunnes Stores' premises in the ILAC Centre.
Mr Jack Tierney, managing director of Faxhill Homes, said that his company had been carrying out building work for Dunnes Stores for a number of years. However, apart from Mr Lowry's home, his company had never been asked to do work of that kind for business associates of the company.