Banks among those applying for costs

National Irish Bank and Radio County Sound Ltd were among 18 applications for costs at the Mahon tribunal yesterday.

Other applicants included NCB Stockbrokers, Scotiabank Ireland and Donnagh O'Donohue and Vivian Murray, both former members of the Broadcasting Commission.

The applicants were involved in phases two and three of the tribunal but did not have legal representation.

The tribunal has been hearing applications for costs all this week from individuals and companies who co-operated with its investigations against former minister Ray Burke and former Dublin assistant city and county manager George Redmond.

Minister for Finance Brian Cowen has contested the tribunal's right to direct that the cost of the applications be paid by the State. He contends they would be a significant burden on the public purse.

Tribunal chairman Judge Alan Mahon said he would rule on the applications by the end of the month.

Marianne Mulligan of Ronan Daly Gerwyn, representing Radio County Sound Ltd, said they would be applying for costs of €2,800, "a very modest professional fee" to cover the time they spent on the case.

Jim O'Callaghan, for National Irish Bank Ltd, said his clients had responded to 135 requests from the tribunal for 59 people and would be requesting bank and legal costs.

NCB Stockbrokers' representative Daniel Simms said his clients had responded to the tribunal's requests in an "expeditious and co-operative manner" and should be paid their costs.

He challenged the Minister's argument that correspondence with the tribunal does not amount to an appearance and should, therefore, not entitle applicants to costs.

"That technical difficulty is overcome by the appearance here today by counsel and solicitor on behalf of my client," he said.

Solicitor Esmond Reilly, who had handled the sale of an acre of land to Ray Burke in Swords, Co Dublin, in 1974, represented himself at the costs hearing. He said he was a sole practitioner in private practice and had carried out research to respond to the tribunal "totally exclusive of any other work".

"I think if my costs were to be denied, it would send out a message to others that lapses of memory, even after 30 years as in my case, would be far more convenient and certainly cheaper on people who might otherwise have evidence to give to the tribunals," he said.