The total cost of the Stardust fire inquests is set to surpass €20 million, more than twice the amount originally allocated by the Government.
Figures provided to The Irish Times show €18,455,037 has been paid out so far, with invoices for a further €2,336,092 yet to be processed.
This compares with €8.2 million that was allocated in the budget of 2021 following a 2019 direction by then attorney general Séamus Woulfe that fresh inquests into the deaths of 48 young people in a fire at the north Dublin nightclub in the early hours of February 14th, 1981, should be held.
In April, following 122 days of sittings, a jury at the inquests headed by coroner Dr Myra Cullinane found all 48 victims, who were aged between 16 and 27, had been unlawfully killed.
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It had been anticipated the inquests would be under way by 2021 but they were dogged by delays including a dispute over whether victims’ families should be means-tested before being approved for legal aid. In the end, all were certified as qualifying and the hearings began in April 2023 with pen portraits, short biographical descriptions of each of those who died delivered by relatives and loved ones.
Of the total costs, €13,500,017 is for legal fees. These fees, however, are only those for the legal teams advising Dublin district coroner, Dr Cullinane and those representing for the 45 bereaved families whose costs were covered by the Legal Aid Board. Not covered in this figure are legal teams also paid for by the State, including for the An Garda Síochána and Dublin City Council.
Stardust manager Eamon Butterly engaged his own legal representation.
Other costs include €4,551,238 for rent of the Pillar Room on the Rotunda hospital campus where the inquests took place and a venue at the RDS in Dublin where some preliminary hearings were held. A further €1,526,266 was spent on expert reports, including from forensic pathologists, medical consultants, forensic fire consultants and fire protection experts; €612,052 on “miscellaneous” items including stenography, audio/visual, IT and office expenses, catering, and witness expenses, and €601,566 to the Office of Public Works.
Last year, when the majority of sitting days were held, costs totalled €7,169,658, including €4,844,276 on legal fees.
This may yet be topped by this year’s cost if all bills are paid by the end of December, with €5,500,445 already paid out and more than €2.3 million outstanding. In total, legal fees for 2024 will be €6,571,867.
The details come as families continue engagement with the Government on redress. Amid what is understood to have been at times “fraught” meetings, some 45 families are engaging with Sara Moorehead, SC, a barrister specialising in mediation, professional negligence and insurance law, who has been appointed to act on behalf of the State.
Her appointment last month came after a week of contacts between the families and Taoiseach Simon Harris over redress. The issue emerged as a potential stumbling block to a memorial event in the Garden of Remembrance last month, led by President Michael D Higgins.
This week families met coroner Dr Cullinane and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to discuss reforms to the inquest process, including that jurors should be chosen by legal teams rather than gardaí and that jurors should be paid by employers while serving.
Families are due to meet President Higgins at Áras an Uachtárain in October.
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