Ruairí Quinn
Question:18 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach the cost to date in 1998 of legal advice secured outside the Attorney General's Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13399/98]
Written Answers. - Independent Legal Advice.
Deputies will recall that I dealt with this matter at some length in my reply to Question No. 2 on 1 April last, Official Report, Vol. 489 No. 4, cols. 701-703.
Outside legal advice is sought as a matter of routine by the Office of the Attorney General, including the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. This would include seeking opinions and engaging counsel to act on behalf of the State. The provision in the 1998 Estimates for these offices for fees to counsel and general law expenses amounts to £5.5 million. Expenditure under this heading to date in 1998 amounts to £1.7 million. This figure encompasses a variety of legal services and it is not possible to isolate amounts paid for advice only. In 1997, the figure was in the order of £3 million and in 1996 a total sum of £3.23 million was paid to counsel.