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NAMA inquiry costs now stand at €4.76m

The inquiry, which has been running since 2017, is investigating the sale of NAMA's portfolio of assets in Northern Ireland
The inquiry, which has been running since 2017, is investigating the sale of NAMA's portfolio of assets in Northern Ireland

A replacement water boiler and dishwasher costing €1,211, legal fees of €1.26m, and €8,000 for new laptops and computer accessories were among the bills run up by the long-running NAMA inquiry.

A database of costs details more than €1.48m in costs over the past two years with the latest overall bill for the commission of inquiry standing at €4.76m as of last November.

A line-by-line breakdown of the inquiry's most recent expenditure shows nine different solicitors and barristers shared €1.26m in fees for the provision of legal services.

Susan Gilvarry - who was appointed the new sole member of the commission of investigation last summer - was paid €377,000 for the "provision of solicitor services" between September 2020 and October 2022.

One barrister was paid €220,000 for their work with the inquiry during the same period while another counsel earned €190,000 for providing legal services.

Six other legal advisers earned between €16,885 and €165,556 over the two-year period, according to a database of costs released by the Department of the Taoiseach.

The commission of inquiry also said there had been salary costs of just over €490,000 in the period from September 2020 until the autumn of last year.

Other bills included €52 for tissues, €89 for hand sanitiser and €54 for surgical masks.

The commission also paid out €3,191 for a "laptop and accessories" for a new junior counsel joining their team, with a further €3,191 paid out for a HP Elite computer, a line monitor and keyboard.

The office dishwasher and boiler both went kaput with a replacement hot water boiler costing €873 and a dishwasher from DID Electrical costing €337.

There was a €4,000 stationery bill with €53 spent on a Sellotape dispenser and €17 for "sticking index arrows".

Stenography fees came to more than €16,000 while the commission also faced rising electricity costs with €39,814 paid out in power bills.

The database also detailed around €14,000 in cleaning bills, €86,838 for "external support providers" and €20,901 for IT software and licence renewals.

The inquiry, which has been running since 2017, is investigating the controversial sale of NAMA's portfolio of assets in Northern Ireland, referred to as Project Eagle, and has so far published 13 interim reports.

Asked about the costs detailed in the records, the Commission said they had nothing to add.

Reporting by Ken Foxe