Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013

46.

Oireachtas Commission to issue guidelines in respect of Part 2 inquiry legal costs.

46.— (1) The Oireachtas Commission may, after consultation with a Taxing Master and bodies representative of legal practitioners or of legal costs accountants, and such other persons as it considers appropriate, prepare and issue guidelines for the information of witnesses and other persons affected by Part 2 inquiries in respect of the recoupment of the Part 2 inquiry legal costs incurred in relation to Part 2 inquiries, and such guidelines may provide for one or more than one of the following:

(a) setting out general principles governing the payment of such costs consistent with the effective and efficient conduct of the inquiry;

(b) restricting the types of services, persons or other matters in respect of which payment may be made;

(c) setting maximum amounts in relation to the payment for one or more types of services or other matters.

(2) A parliamentary legal costs adjudicator may on any adjudication of a signed bill of costs referred to in section 51(2)(a) allow all fair and reasonable Part 2 inquiry legal costs in respect of any matters not included in the guidelines prepared and issued pursuant to this section.