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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 May 1946

Vol. 101 No. 8

Written Answers. - Fees to Counsel.

asked the Minister for Finance if he will state in respect of each of the financial years 1943-44, 1944-45 and 1945-46 the total sum paid by way of fees to (a) each junior counsel, and (b) each senior counsel briefed on behalf of the State in criminal and civil cases, showing in each case the number of briefs in respect of which such fees were paid.

The particulars asked for in the first part of the question are as follows:—

STATEMENT showing the sums paid in the years 1943-44, 1944-45 and 1945-46 by way of fees to Counsel briefed on behalf of the State in Criminal and Civil cases.

Name of Counsel

Sum paid by way of fees

1943/4

1944/5

1945/6

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

(a) Junior Counsel:

Carey, P.J.

8

8

0

5

5

0

Connolly, T.J.

8

8

0

220

10

0

Conroy, J.C.

59

17

0

227

17

0

195

6

0

Danaher, M.

15

15

0

Danckwerts, H.O.

5

10

0

D'Arcy, J.

132

6

0

190

1

0

113

8

0

Donovan, T.J.

448

7

0

340

4

0

244

13

0

Doyle, T.A.

37

16

0

72

9

0

116

11

0

Durcan, J. J.

137

11

0

82

19

0

71

8

0

Farrell, J.J.

313

19

0

179

11

0

Fitzpatrick, F.

6

6

0

10

10

0

4

4

0

Geraghty, J.

317

2

0

424

4

0

393

15

0

Griffin, P.J.

66

3

0

50

8

0

119

14

0

Hannin, T. B.

236

5

0

561

15

0

556

10

0

Humphries, R.P.

632

2

0

Hurley, G.

244

13

0

213

3

0

512

8

0

Kelly, I. J.

56

14

0

151

4

0

250

19

0

Kenny, K.

5

5

0

8

8

0

McDonagh, D.

162

15

0

306

12

0

148

1

0

MacDonald, N.K.

18

18

0

205

16

0

McDowell, A.G.

108

3

0

237

6

0

880

19

0

Mac Fhionnlaoich, D.

45

3

0

178

10

0

Mac Firbhisigh, T.

432

12

0

621

12

0

McGilligan, M.

2

2

0

McGivern, J.S.

533

8

0

267

15

0

312

18

0

McKenna, C.B.

103

19

0

McMahon, J.

5

5

0

Maguire, C.

9

9

0

Marnan, T. G.

82

19

0

33

12

0

6

6

0

Mayne, D.F. O'N.

16

16

0

17

17

0

Micks, E.C.

165

18

0

64

1

0

159

12

0

Molloy, M. J.

186

18

0

121

16

0

162

15

0

(a) Junior Counsel:

O'Callaghan, M.

45

3

0

63

0

0

103

19

0

O'Connor, F.

2

2

0

14

14

0

Ó h-Uadhaigh, R.

198

9

0

349

13

0

630

0

0

O'Keeffe, A.

570

3

0

1,141

7

0

925

1

0

O'Mahony, E.

166

19

0

124

19

0

44

2

0

O'Neill, H.

149

2

0

136

10

0

106

1

0

O'Reilly, J. P.

101

17

0

16

16

0

43

1

0

Roche, W.F.

4

4

0

Ryan, P.N.

25

4

0

Sheehan, P. A.

259

7

0

241

10

0

203

14

0

Sherry, F.

680

8

0

1,522

10

0

850

10

0

Sweetman, E.T.

13

13

0

Teevan, T.

214

4

0

94

10

0

119

14

0

Wood, E.M.

4

4

0

(b) Senior Counsel:

Binchy, M.

33

12

0

90

6

0

Buckley, F.V.

346

10

0

21

0

0

Budd, F.G.

34

13

0

10

10

0

Carson, W. H.

78

15

0

99

15

0

79

16

0

Casey, C.F.

8

8

0

Connolly, M.

4

4

0

8

8

0

Fitzgibbon, F.

37

16

0

47

5

0

2

2

0

Fleming, A.C.

1

2

7

*Hooper, J.

767

11

0

1,645

7

0

1,377

12

0

Hughes, H.

10

10

0

Kelly, E.J.

193

4

0

53

11

0

Lavery, C.

32

11

0

24

3

0

65

2

0

McCarthy, J.A.

1,186

10

0

1,319

17

0

24

3

0

McCarthy, P.

21

0

0

McEnery, P.J.

78

15

0

178

10

0

470

8

0

McGonigal, R.

731

17

0

746

11

0

305

11

0

McLoughlin, R. F.

1,481

11

0

1,366

1

0

1,052

2

0

Moloney, H. J.

153

6

0

229

19

0

147

0

0

Moriarty, O.

338

2

0

173

5

0

136

10

0

Murnaghan, G.D.

1,326

3

0

2,060

2

0

1,394

8

0

O'Connor, A.

150

3

0

248

17

0

*O Dalaigh, C.

1,254

15

0

1,066

16

0

677

5

0

The O'Rahilly

7

7

0

* Including sum paid as Junior Counsel.

The information requested in the second part of the question could not be made available except at considerable labour and expense. It is available, however, in another form in the following statement which indicates the fees normally paid to counsel in criminal and civil cases:—

CRIMINAL CASES.

Counsel

Circuit Court

Central Criminal Court

Special Criminal Court

Court of Criminal Appeal

Settling Indictment

Directing Proofs

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

Senior

6

6

0

10

10

0

10

10

0

Same as in Court of Trial

1

1

0

2

2

0

Junior

4

4

0

7

7

0

7

7

0

1

1

0

2

2

0

CIVIL CASES.

Counsel

Circuit Court

High Court

Supreme Court

Directing Proofs

High Court

Circuit Court

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

Senior

6

6

0

12

12

0

12

12

0

3

3

0

From

to 5

5

0

£1

1

0

Junior

4

4

0

8

8

0

8

8

0

2

2

0

From

£1

1

0

The amount of the fee is fixed by the Attorney-General in each case and while the above scale is usually followed the Attorney-General may depart from it where the amount of work involved and the difficulties of law so warrant. The maximum fee on a senior brief is 25 guineas except where, after consultation with the Minister for Finance, a special fee is sanctioned exceptionally.

asked the Minister for Finance if he will state in respect of each of the years 1944 and 1945 (1) the amount of the fees paid to (a) junior, and (b) senior counsel in original trials where the conviction was quashed on appeal; (2) the amount of the fees paid to (a) junior, and (b) senior counsel in appeal cases which resulted in the quashing of convictions; (3) the amount of the fees paid to (a) junior, and (b) senior counsel in retrials following such appeals; (4) the total sum paid by way of costs in each of those years in respect of proceedings where a conviction was set aside on appeal; and (5) the number of such appeals.

The information asked for by the Deputy is contained in the tabular statement which follows.

It may be mentioned that a statistical approach does not provide a good basis for considering this matter. The function of the Attorney-General, where a prima facie case is made out, is not to decide it himself but to send it before the court. No case is ever sent for trial unless there is evidence available to support the charge.

Following is the statement:—

FEES TO COUNSEL AND COSTS ARISING IN SUCCESSFUL CRIMINAL APPEAL CASES.

Year

Fees paid to Counsel in original trials where the conviction was quashed on appeal

Fees paid to Counsel in appeal cases which resulted in quashing of the convictions

Fees paid to Counsel in retrials following such appeals

Costs paid by State in cases where conviction was set aside on appeal

No. of such appeals

(1)

(8)

(9)

Senior

Junior

Senior

Junior

Senior

Junior

£

s.

d.

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

1944

472

10

0

346

10

0

275

2

0

219

9

0

47

5

0

31

10

0

165

7

10

9

1945

233

2

0

51

9

0

103

10

0

102

18

0

602

14

0

274

1

0

1,835

15

5

8

NOTES:—

(1) Fees paid in 1945 to Counsel in original trials where convictions were quashed on appeal do not include one trial in the Special Criminal Court in which an individual (in whose case only the conviction was quashed) was charged jointly with six other persons. The fees paid on that trial to Senior and Junior Counsel were £145 10s. 0d. and £106 1s. 0d. respectively, and it is not possible to apportion them as referable to that defendant's case alone; the same fees would have been payable if he had not been charged.

(2) Fees paid to Counsel for retrials following appeals include sums of £333 18s. 0d., £117 12s. 0d., and £119 14s. 0d. paid to two Senior Counsel and a Junior Counsel in respect of retrials held in 1945 following convictions quashed in 1944.

(3) The figure for 1945 in column (8) includes the sum of £1,459 2s. 5d., being the costs (referred to in the note to the statement in cols. 325/26 of the Dáil Debates of 21st February, 1945) in cases in which retrials were held in the year 1945 following convictions quashed in the year 1944. It does not include the costs payable in three cases in which payment has not been claimed following taxation.

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