The barristers acting as counsel to the Leveson Inquiry have been paid more than £1m in fees, equating to almost a third of the total costs for the media standards inquiry.

A detailed breakdown of costs published on the Leveson website has revealed that counsel to the inquiry were paid a total of £1,015,700 from mid-June 2011 to 30 June this year.

An additional £222,400 to was paid a further four barristers providing assistance to counsel during the inquiry. Hearings subsequently concluded on 24 July.

Lead counsel Robert Jay QC (pictured), the joint head of 39 Essex Street, will have taken home the largest share of the earnings. Jay worked alongside Temple Garden Chambers' David Barr, Landmark Chambers' Carine Patry Hoskins and Lucinda Boon of 5 Essex Court.

Specific details of fees paid to individual barristers have not been disclosed, but a spokesman previously confirmed that individual rates are in accordance with the Attorney General's panel of counsel. According to these rates, the four barristers were paid between £100 and £280 per hour, depending on seniority.

The total counsel costs of £1,238,100 equate to almost one third of the total cost of the inquiry, which stands at £3.9m. Secretariat staff costs accounted for the largest proportion of outgoings, totalling £1,214,700.

The news comes after the last publication of inquiry costs for the period from July 2011 to 31 January 2012 showed total fees paid to barristers had reached £625,600 for the six-month period.

The Leveson Inquiry began last year following the closure of the News of the World amid allegations of phone-hacking. The inquiry's aim has been to investigate the culture, practices and ethics of the press, with Lord Justice Leveson expected to deliver his report detailing recommendations on future press regulation to the Government in November this year.

Click here for more details from the Leveson Inquiry website.