Taoiseach Brian Cowen has told the Dáil that the Moriarty Tribunal is calling two additional State witnesses and has written to the people in question.
No date has been set for the hearing.
On a question on the cost of the Moriarty Tribunal, Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin referred to a Public Accounts Committee session in which it was noted that €8.5m each had been paid out to two barristers.
Deputy Ó Caoláin reminded the Taoiseach that in answer to a subsequent Dáil question as to why a reduction in fees to tribunal barristers had not been implemented, the Taoiseach had said that 'the strong view was that to do so might drive the barristers away' and that that would jeopardise the work already done.
Deputy Ó Caoláin wanted to know had the barristers threatened this? And why had they not been faced down, if so?
The Taoiseach said the Government acted on advice at the time.
Independent TD Michael Lowry asked the Taoiseach how he could justify the cost of the tribunal.
He said the economy was in tatters yet Senior Council are being paid, even though they also claim for Saturdays and Sundays.
Mr Lowry asked why barristers, who had put in bills which were incorrect, had not been forced to pay the money back.
He said this overcharging amounted to millions of euro and that a social welfare recipient would have been hounded in the case for such an error.
He said the officials in the Taoiseach's Department had allowed the tribunal barristers to become 'untouchables'.
The Independent TD asked how this could be so, when the Government is asking all citizens to cut back and is cutting social welfare and other services.
And he said that the reason the additional two witnesses were being called to the Moriarty Tribunal was because, if not, there would have been a High Court case hearing this morning.
