Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013

Chapter 4

Private bill legal costs

Oireachtas Commission to issue guidelines in respect of private bill legal costs.

56.— (1) The Oireachtas Commission may, after consultation with a Taxing Master and bodies representative of legal practitioners or of legal costs accountants, and such other persons as it considers appropriate, prepare and issue guidelines for the information of promoters and petitioners in respect of the recoupment of private bill legal costs, and such guidelines may provide for one or more than one of the following:

(a) setting out general principles governing the payment of such costs consistent with the effective and efficient conduct of proceedings of the Oireachtas on private bills;

(b) restricting the types of services, persons or other matters in respect of which payment may be made;

(c) setting maximum amounts in relation to the payment for one or more types of services or other matters.

(2) A parliamentary legal costs adjudicator may on any adjudication of a signed bill of costs referred to in section 60 (1)(a) allow all fair and reasonable private bill legal costs in respect of any matters not included in the guidelines prepared and issued pursuant to this section.