Vol. 429 No. 4
132 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the amount of funding available to the civil legal aid scheme for the years 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1993; whether there are any proposed improvements in the scheme in 1993; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The scheme of Civil Legal Aid and Advice is administered by the Legal Aid Board. Expenditure incurred in the operation of the scheme is met from the Legal Aid Fund. This fund consists of—
(1) grants paid in each financial year out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas of such amount as the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, after consultation with the Board in relation to its estimated requirements for that year, and, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, may fix and
(2) All other payments made to the Fund including contributions paid by persons granted legal services and costs and damages recovered by such persons as provided for in this scheme.
The funds available to the Legal Aid Board from these sources in the years referred to in the Question are as follows:— 1985, £1,622,000; 1987, £1,724,000; 1989, £1,637,000; 1991, £2,435,000; 1993, £2,981,000 (provisional)
The abridged version of the Estimates for Public Services 1993 shows an allocation of £2,906,000 as Grant-in-Aid to the Legal Aid Board. This will, of course, be supplemented by other payments to the Fund, as described above, estimated at £75,000. The amounts shown opposite each of the years 1985 and 1987 also include an allocation from funds made available for legal aid under a provision in the Funds of Suitors Act, 1984, of £65,000 and £190,000 respectively.
