The High Court has reserved to a later date the issue of who should pay costs relating to an unsuccessful bid by President Mary McAleese's Protocol Officer to secure an injunction halting a disciplinary inquiry against her.
Bridget Conway sought the injunction pending the outcome of her full action against the State.
The State today applied for the costs of the two-day injunction hearing which are likely to be more than €30,000.
Mr Justice Kevin Feeney said the issue would be decided at the end of the full action. Ms Conway was in the High Court for the application.
The high ranking civil servant from Oakleigh, Clane Road, Celbridge Co Kildare will have to wait a number of months before a full hearing of her case is heard.
She has sued An Taoiseach, Ireland and the Attorney General.
Last month Mr Justice Feeney ruled Ms Conway had established an arguable case and a fair question to be tried in relation to the question of whether the discplinary proceedings were motivated by personal animus on the part of Ms Conway's superiors.
However, he also found damages were an adequate remedy and the balance of justice was against granting the injunction. Mr Justice Feeney found Ms Conway had not made out a case establishing that the disciplinary process was so flawed as not to protect her rights to fair procedures and natural justice.
Ms Conway has claimed it was her close relationship with the President and more particularly a hug from the President on Ms Conway's return from the funerals of the victims of the Omagh bombing which had triggered the sequence of alleged events which brought her to the courts.