THE Moriarty Tribunal - set up 20 years ago to investigate alleged corrupt payments to politicians - is still costing the taxpayer millions, we can reveal.

It cost €1.323,721 to fund its operations and keep a small team employed in 2016 and the first seven months of this year.

3 Former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

As well as that, the State is still covering the cost of “third party claims” against the inquiry with these coming to €5,493,524 so far in 2017 and €181,057 in 2016.

For the 19 month period, the legal team bill came to €651,780 with €336,681 going on administration and “other costs” totalling €335,260.

That leaves a cost for the taxpayer of €6,998,302 since January 1 2016.

The Moriarty tribunal, officially titled the Tribunal Report into Payments to Politicians and Related Matters, was set up in 1997 to inquire into payments to Charlie Haughey and former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry.

A lengthy part of the tribunal’s work arose from the 1995 mobile phone licence competition, won by Esat Digfone.

Among the payouts this year in relation to the Tribunal include “professional fees” to solicitor Stuart Brady that come to €162,870.47.

3 Former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry Credit: Crispin Rodwell - The Sun Dublin

They are made up of: €25,970.22 for March 6 to April 13, €34,626.96 for April 18 to June 9, €42,321.84 for January 3 to March 3, €32,703.24 for September 12 to October 28 2016, plus €27,248.21 for November 1 to December 9 2016.

There were “legal fees” paid to barrister Stephen McCullough that come to €98,398.29 including: €55,018.40 for March 6 to June 4 plus €43,379.89 for December 5 to March 5.

A spokesman for the Department of Taoiseach said: “The Moriarty Tribunal published its Final Report in March 2011 and a small legal and administrative staff remains in place to deal with applications for third-party costs and with the ongoing business of wind-down.

“The Tribunal is also subject to a number of legal proceedings for which it uses its own legal resources as much as possible.

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“The Sole Member has indicated that the majority of applications for third-party costs have now been considered by him and that there remain only a very limited number of applications which are still being considered.”

Quizzed further, he added: “As regards the query on staffing of the Tribunal, most of the legal team ceased working with the Tribunal following publication of its Final Report – the Tribunal retained a Junior Counsel and the Tribunal Solicitor to assist it in dealing with applications for third-party costs. The Tribunal’s administrative team was also reduced and now comprises its Registrar and a Legal Secretary.”

Asked who the third party claims were made to, the State Claims Agency said it “does not disclose details of individual case settlements as this is commercially sensitive information”.

3 Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe Credit: EPA

Back in March, Minister Paschal Donohoe told a hearing of the Dail Committee on Public Expenditure that “tribunals of inquiry and commissions of inquiry have cost the State €421m since 2007”.

This included a €54m bill for Moriarty plus €119m for the Mahon Tribunal and €46m for Lindsay.

Minister Donohoe justified the massive expenditure on the basis that “there are truths on important matters that need to be interrogated”.

But Labour TD Sean Sherlock responded: “Part of your role as a Minister for Public Expenditure must be to find some mechanism for truth and justice that does not place such a burden on the taxpayer.”

And Fianna Fail’s justice spokesman Jim O’Callaghan said: “We have a responsibility to try to ensure that they (inquiries) are efficient and not as costly as they have been in the past. It’s important to note the function of a tribunal is to establish the truth but it is not the function of a tribunal to apportion criminal liability.”