The lawyers acting for the planning tribunal secured pay rises in late 2002, with senior members of the team seeing their daily rate rise to €2,250 and juniors to €1,500.
The pay rise was the knock-on effect of fee rates agreed for colleagues working on the Morris tribunal.
By late 2002, John Gallagher SC had earned €1.747 million from the planning tribunal since its foundation in December 1997, while Patrick Hanratty SC had earned €1.46 million.
Patrick Quinn SC, who joined the tribunal in September 2001, had earned €354,842; Des O’Neill SC, who joined in August 1998, had earned €1.527 million, while Patricia Dillon SC, had earned €1.293 million.
Eunice O’Raw had earned €1.072 million, while another junior counsel, Mairead Coughlan, who began as a tribunal researcher in late 1997, had earned €890,666.
When publishing his findings that year, Mr Justice Feargus Flood said the tribunal had led to the payment of €34.5 million in taxes, more than the tribunal had cost by that date.
