Vol. 429 No. 7
91 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will give details of the legal cost to his Department to defend him where legal action has been taken involving the Minister since 1983; if such legal work is contracted out; if consideration has been given to employing a full time legal officer for such work; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The information relating to costs requested by the Deputy is not readily available. To extract such detailed information would mean deferring more pressing and urgent work in the Offices of the Attorney General and the Chief State Solicitor and this could not be justified. Where legal action is taken involving either myself or my Department, legal representation and advice is provided by the Chief State Solicitor's Office and the Attorney General's Office respectively.
My Department already employs a number of legal staff mainly on work relating to land acquisition and disposal. While the future development of these staff is under consideration, there are, at present, no plans to change the arrangements relating to legal representation and advice.
