The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, yesterday accepted in principle a Fine Gael proposal to introduce "competitive tendering" for lawyers appearing at tribunals in an attempt to bring down the cost of such inquiries.
Mr McDowell is expected to bring forward an amendment to the Commissions of Investigation Bill shortly which Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr Jim O'Keeffe, said yesterday would "radically reduce the amounts being paid to barristers and solicitors by the taxpayers of this country". The Bill proposes to introduce a less expensive form of inquiry as an alternative to the current tribunals.
At yesterday morning's meeting of the Oireachtas justice committee, Mr McDowell indicated that he accepted the principle of competitive tendering for lawyers put forward by Mr O'Keeffe. A spokeswoman said yesterday he was likely to bring forward an amendment to this effect at the later report stage of the Bill.
Mr O'Keeffe said it was "a major step forward in ensuring transparency and the restoration of public confidence in the system of tribunals of inquiry. It will put in place a procedure, whereby barristers and solicitors will have to go through a tendering process to enable them to be eligible to work at tribunals and commissions of investigation.
"In the last number of years €100 million has been spent in respect of legal costs for tribunals in Ireland and by proposing this amendment Fine Gael has ensured that millions of euro, each year, will be saved."