The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse will cost up to €136 million to complete, the Comptroller and Auditor General said today.
In a report published today, Comptroller John Buckley noted that the commission was originally given a two-year timeframe in which to complete its work.
It was expected to cost between €1.9 million to €2.5 million, he said.
“Ultimately the Commission’s work will have extended for more than ten years at a likely cost to the State estimated to be in the range of €126 million to €136 million,” Mr Buckley said.
He said that up to the date of publication of its report on May 20th, only one attempt was made to estimate the inquiry’s cost during its course.
“In future inquiries, attention will need to be given to establishing information systems sufficient to enable the inquiry and the funding department to estimate its commitments on an on-going basis,” Mr Buckley added.