Top planning tribunal lawyers’ daily pay rose to €2,250 in 2002

Rise was knock-on effect of rates agreed for colleagues working on Morris Tribunal

The lawyers acting for the Planning Tribunal secured pay rises in late 2002, with senior members of the team seeing their daily rate rise to €2,250 and juniors to €1,500. File photograph: Getty Images
The lawyers acting for the Planning Tribunal secured pay rises in late 2002, with senior members of the team seeing their daily rate rise to €2,250 and juniors to €1,500. File photograph: Getty Images

The lawyers acting for the planning tribunal secured pay rises in late 2002, with senior members of the team seeing their daily rate rise to €2,250 and juniors to €1,500.

The pay rise was the knock-on effect of fee rates agreed for colleagues working on the Morris tribunal.

By late 2002, John Gallagher SC had earned €1.747 million from the planning tribunal since its foundation in December 1997, while Patrick Hanratty SC had earned €1.46 million.

Patrick Quinn SC, who joined the tribunal in September 2001, had earned €354,842; Des O’Neill SC, who joined in August 1998, had earned €1.527 million, while Patricia Dillon SC, had earned €1.293 million.

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Eunice O’Raw had earned €1.072 million, while another junior counsel, Mairead Coughlan, who began as a tribunal researcher in late 1997, had earned €890,666.

When publishing his findings that year, Mr Justice Feargus Flood said the tribunal had led to the payment of €34.5 million in taxes, more than the tribunal had cost by that date.

Colm Keena

Colm Keena

Colm Keena is an Irish Times journalist. He was previously legal-affairs correspondent and public-affairs correspondent