The investigations initiated over 16 years into wrongdoings in different areas of Irish life are set to deliver bills well in excess of Euro1bn, with the final cost of the Moriarty tribunal alone likely to hit Euro200m based on information released by the Department of the Taoiseach.

Over the last nine years, the state has paid out Euro27.2m for Judge Michael Moriarty's inquiry into corrupt political and business relationships. This figure, however, does not include the legal costs of those who gave evidence at the Dublin Castle inquiry. Moriarty will judge on the legal fees of those involved in the Haughey module in the new year.

Moriarty took over from the McCracken tribunal in late 1997 where the central characters were also former taoiseach Charles Haughey and former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry. The cost of McCracken came to Euro6.6m. According to the Department of the Taoiseach - which has responsibility for these two tribunals - the McCracken legal team cost Euro865,193 (13% of the overall cost) while thirdparty legal fees came to Euro5.7m (85% of the overall cost).

Applying these McCracken cost ratios to Moriarty brings its overall cost to approximately Euro200m, with the tribunal's own legal fees coming to about Euro25m and third-party legal bills hitting almost Euro165m. The balance covers the administrative costs of running the near decade-long inquiry.

Five inquiries have been completed in recent years - beef, McCracken, Finlay, Lindsay and Dunne - at a cost of just under Euro100m. Another 13 inquiries are, however, still under way and clocking up substantial costs. These costs are now Euro175m.

The final bills for these 13 inquiries will rise significantly when thirdparty legal fees are eventually submitted, with the big cost arising at the McCracken, Flood/Mahon and Morris tribunals.

Legal fees at the Flood/Mahon tribunal have so far come to Euro38m, with Euro32m of that for the tribunal's own legal team and Euro6m for thirdparty legal fees. The Morris tribunal has already cost over Euro26m, with legal bills accounting for Euro14m of this amount. However, the overall cost of investigating planning corruption in the Dublin region and garda corruption in Co Donegal will be many times these figures.

It is by no means certain that the state will end up paying for all the legal fees of those under investigation, especially for people like Haughey who were deemed uncooperative. But this is unlikely to ease the cost burden on the taxpayer. The search for the truth, it seems, does not come cheap.

Cost of ongoing tribunals and inquiries Moriarty (September 1997),
Payments to politicians ¤27.2m
Mahon (November 1997) Planning corruption ¤59.4m Laffoy (May 1999)
Abuse of children ¤34.4m
Barron (January 2000) State collusion with terrorists ¤3.5m
Morris (March 2002) Garda corruption ¤28.6mBarr (April 2002)
John Carty shooting ¤10.5m
Fadden (May 2005) Organ retention ¤0.5m
Ferns (April 2003)
Catholic priests abusing children ¤2.1m
Lourdes (April 2004) Michael Neary inquiry ¤3.0m
Dublin Monaghan bombings (April 2005) inquiry ¤1.9m
Breen/Buchanan (May 2005)
Bombing inquiry ¤1.7m Lyons (February 2006)
Grangegorman murders ¤1.0m
Dublin Archdiocese (March 2006)
Catholic priests abusing children ¤0.8m

TOTAL COST TO DATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Euro174.6m

Cost of completed tribunals and inquiries
Irregularities in the beef industry ¤27.2m
McCracken: Payments to politicians ¤6.6m
Finlay: Blood contamination ¤4.7m
Lindsay: Blood contamination ¤46.7m
Dunne: Organ retention ¤11.5m

TOTAL COST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Euro96.7m