The special manager appointed to run Newbridge Credit Union on foot of order from the courts has racked up more than €1.2 million in fees over the last 18 months.

Luke Charlton, a senior accountant at Ernst & Young, was appointed to run the Kildare credit union in early 2012 by the High Court. The Central Bank asked for the special manager to be put in place because it had concerns about its financial viability and some of its lending decisions.

Answering a Dáil question Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the High Court has recently cut the hourly fees charged by Charlton to €375 from €423. Since January 2012, Charlton's fees totalled €1.25 million.

According to Noonan Newbridge will require a bailout from the fund set up to rescue credit unions in difficulty.

"This will be the first instance in which the taxpayer is being called upon to advance sizeable sums of money to support a credit union in difficulty. While the figure cannot be disclosed at this time, it is substantial and runs into tens of millions of euro," he said.

Members of Newbridge Credit Union have demanded that the Central Bank remove Charlton and restore the previous management.

The Central Bank and the Department of Finance have sought to merge Newbridge with nearby Naas Credit Union. That move is being opposed by some members of Newbridge.