156 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the fees paid to two private firms of solicitors (details supplied) for particular work done by the Revenue Commissioners in the collection of revenue debt from 1988 to 1998. [12741/98]

The total payments made to the two firms retained for the purposes of debt collection in the years in question were as shown in the table following. The figure for 1988 is estimated from the total amount of expenditure on all forms of debt collection in that year. The total paid in 1998 up to 31 March is £333,688.