Taxpayers are spending thousands of euro buying lunch and coffee and other necessities for the Moriarty tribunal team.
More than €11,000 has already been spent at Gruel, the trendy restaurant on Dame Street not far from Dublin Castle.
Coffee, Christmas trees and decorations and Gruel bills are among the expenses detailed in the invoices of the Moriarty (Payments to Politicians) tribunal over the past two years, according to documents released to The Irish Times.
The fees charged by the barristers who work for the tribunal are the most costly items on a list of invoices released by the Department of An Taoiseach. Other significant bills arise from technology and stenography services.
However, expenditure is also being incurred on a diverse range of items including specialist coffees, Institute of Public Administration yearbooks, and a training session from Carr Communications for a member of staff. The training session cost €190 in August 2003.
The list of invoices paid in the period January 2002 to date in relation to the tribunal was released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Bewleys Ltd is listed for occasional small amounts, such as €85 on January 24th, 2002, paid for catering services. However, in September and December 2003 the tribunal spent €242 on "Capriccio and Decaffeinato" coffee, purchased from the Nespresso Club, a Nestlé coffee service "designed to give you the ideal dose", according to its website.
A new coffee machine was bought in December 2002, for €729, and a "save a cup, Beca bin, for coffee cups", was purchased for €162 a month earlier.
The latter item was delivered by King Ireland, who charged €342 for "catering supplies and one food item", that same month.
The favourite item for a working lunch seems to be a take-out from Gruel. As well as rolls, Gruel also sells pizza, salads and a selection of home-made soups. In the period January 2002 to December 2003, the tribunal team spent €11,056 on lunches from Gruel, the invoice shows.
In February 2002, an invoice of €238 was received from the Institute of Public Administration for four copies of its yearbook. The following year the tribunal bought six of the yearbooks, at a cost of €357.
An unnamed security company provided a range of services over the period, including "clip on yo-yos and card holders" (€170).
Telecoms bills included ISDN line bills for the homes of Mr Justice Moriarty and legal team members Mr Jerry Healy SC, Mr John Coughlan SC, and Ms Jacqueline O'Brien BL. These bills were for occasional two-figure amounts, usually below €50. A number of mobile phone invoices from Vodafone also feature as do Eircom bills arising from the home phones of the chairman and Mr Healy and Ms O'Brien. IT training for the chairman, from Moss Technology, in June 2003, cost €300.
The delivery and collection of the legal team from Dublin Airport led to a €127 bill from Michael Divine Chauffeur Services on September 3rd, 2002. A bill from the same service, apparently relating to September 5th, 2003, cost €420. An oak storage unit from Farrell Brothers cost €4,455. The company supplied a number of items of office furniture over the period.
Work carried out for it by AIB chairman and barrister, Mr Dermot Gleeson SC, cost the tribunal €37,510 in September 2003.
RKD Floral Displays Ltd was paid €135 in January 2003 for the supply of "Christmas trees and festive trimmings". Six planter units six months later cost €112.
A bill from the same company in January 2004, was for only €89, presumably on the basis that the festive trimmings from the previous year were used.
