I move:
That a sum not exceeding £1,761,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1980, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Attorney General.
Estimates, 1980. - Vote 12: Office of the Attorney General.
I have only got a minute on this. I said the other day and I want to say it again in the Minister's presence that my impression is—I formed it before occupying briefly the post of Attorney General and have consolidated the impression since—that the legal services of the State are not sufficiently centralised and are not sufficiently well manned. The people who are there are of the highest calibre but there are not enough of them and they are expected to do too many things. This is the context in which I raised the matter last week. In particular, the matter of the arbitration of the Continental Shelf between this country and Britain is of an importance which it would be difficult to exaggerate. It involves the potential ownership of a stretch of territory albeit covered by water and now not easily exploitable, almost the size of Ireland. That is almost the size of what is at issue between ourselves and the British.
It requires the non-stop attention of at least one very senior and fully qualified legal adviser all the time non-stop. There is a mass of legal material of all kinds to be digested and it is not fair to thrust that task on a small office, dedicated and devoted as they are. I know they work hours longer than the norm, it naturally goes without saying, without being paid for it or without getting any special recognition and they do not expect it. It is not only not fair to them but it is not fair to the public interest that a matter of this immense importance should be simply one dusty file among a pack of others which a very small number of men have to handle. I urge the Minister to take an interest in this.
I agree with the Deputy entirely. As Deputy Kelly knows I have always been the forerunner in that area. We would not have this issue being discussed between the Governments now had I not brought it to the attention of Deputy Kelly's Government who ignored it completely. Deputy Kelly's Government laughed at it and it now transpires that the laugh was not very well warranted.
(Interruptions.)
Vote put and agreed to.