Vol. 330 No. 3
asked the Minister for Justice (a) the number of persons who have applied for free legal aid and/or advice under the civil legal aid and advice scheme since the scheme's inception; (b) the number of applications (i) granted and (ii) refused; (c) the number of applicants that have appealed against a refusal to the Legal Aid Board; and (d) the number of applicants granted assistance under the scheme following a decision made on appeal by the board.
313.
asked the Minister for Justice the number of solicitors employed in each of the law centres established under the civil legal aid and advise scheme; the number of civil servants who are employed to administer the means test under the scheme; and the number of other civil servants who are employed to administer the scheme and to carry out other functions such as secretarial duties.
314.
asked the Minister for Justice the total cost of the present scheme of civil legal aid and advice in the first year of its operation and the total sums paid to date to (a) solicitors employed in the law centres; (b) barristers instructed to act on behalf of persons assisted under the scheme; (c) civil servants employed to carry out the means testing under the scheme; and (d) other civil servants involved in the administration of the scheme.
315.
asked the Minister for Justice the total amount of monies paid to date to law centres or to the legal aid board by persons provided with legal assistance under the civil legal aid and advice scheme.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 to 315, inclusive together.
Under the provisions of section 9.2.1 of the scheme of civil legal aid and advice the Legal Aid Board are obliged to make an annual report to the Minister for Justice on the operation of the scheme and copies of each report will be laid before each House of the Oireachtas by the Minister for Justice.
I understand from the board that their report for 1980 will be presented to me very shortly and I am satisfied that it will contain the information sought by the Deputy in respect of 1980, in so far as this relates to the board's operations. As regards the data sought by the Deputy in respect of the board's operations in the current year I am satisfied that to compile the information in question at this stage would involve a very substantial amount of time and effort on the part of the staff of the Legal Aid Board who are already very hard pressed and I do not consider that that would be justified. Such information will be provided in due course in the annual report for 1981.
As regards the information about the numbers of staff employed by the Legal Aid Board requested by the Deputy in question the position as of now is as follows:—
In the board's headquarters office there are 20 staff engaged in general administration work in connection with the scheme; In the Law Centre in Gardiner Street, Dublin, six solicitors are employed together with six clerical staff; In the Law Centre in Aston House, Dublin, four solicitors are employed together with four clerical staff; In the Law Centre in North Mall, Cork, four solicitors are employed together with three clerical staff. One of the solicitors in the Cork centre is a supernumerary who is employed as a replacement for another solicitor from the centre who is currently seconded to the Coolock Community Law Centre; In the Law Centre in O'Connell Street, Limerick, two solicitors are employed together with two clerical staff; In the Law Centre in Catherine Street, Waterford, two solicitors are employed together with two clerical staff; In the Law Centre in Prospect Hill, Galway, two solicitors are employed together with two clerical staff; In the Law Centre in Teeling Street, Sligo, two solicitors are employed together with two clerical staff.
At the moment all headquarters staff as well as the clerical staff in centres are civil servants on secondment although some non-civil servants have been temporarily employed at times and the board are not, under the scheme, restricted to recruiting staff from the civil service.
I am informed by the board that none of their staff is engaged exclusively in administering the means test applied under the terms of the scheme and that no figures are available in respect of the cost of this aspect of the board's operations.
316.
asked the Minister for Justice whether further Law Centres will be opened under the civil legal aid and advice scheme in the next 12 months.
The question of expanding the present level of services provided by the Legal Aid Board is under consideration at present.
