Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Mar 2000

Vol. 515 No. 4

Written Answers. - Legal Aid Service.

Theresa Ahearn

Question:

158 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of people awaiting free legal aid at each Legal Aid Board centre; the average waiting time in each centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6398/00]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The number of people on waiting lists and the waiting times for appointments with solicitors at each of the 30 full-time law centres operated by the Legal Aid Board at the end of January 2000 are set out in the following tabular statement. The board currently has sanction for 89 solicitors and 125 administrative staff employed in the law centres. The number of people on the waiting list on 31 January 2000 is 2,692. This figure, which includes people on wait ing lists at part-time law centres, compares with a figure of 2,944 at 31 December 1999.

It should be pointed out, of course, that most people, whether availing of civil legal aid services or paying for the services of private practitioners would tend to experience some waiting period for legal services – either at the outset or in the course of a case. The important figures, therefore, in looking at this situation are not so much the overall number of clients who are listed as "waiting" but the average waiting period for a first appointment at each centre.

The Deputy will be aware that, in order to combat the problems being experienced in relation to waiting times, I made additional resources available to the Legal Aid Board for this year when I increased the allocation of grant-in-aid to £12.899 million, an increase of 8% on the 1999 allocation. Where waiting times, for whatever reasons, become excessive the position is examined by the board with a view to taking remedial action.

The Deputy will also be aware that the Legal Aid Board has operated a private practitioners scheme in the Dublin area on a pilot basis for some years. I understand that the board is proceeding with the setting up of a nation-wide private practitioners panel to provide legal services in domestic violence, maintenance, and custody/access issues in the District Court. This scheme, while increasing the services provided by the board, should also enable the law centres to devote more resources to non-District Court matters and should help to reduce waiting times in law centres. I understand that advertisements were placed in the papers recently inviting private practitioners to put their names on a panel for this purpose and the scheme is at present being set up on a county by county basis.

Waiting Times (in months) for appointments with solicitors of the Legal Aid Board

(Full-Time Law Centres)

County	Centre	Closing number on the waiting list at end of January, 2000	31st January, 2000Months
Cavan	Cavan	37	4.5
Clare	Ennis	46	4.0
Cork	Popes Quay	134	5.0
	South Mall	203	6.0
Donegal	Letterkenny	68	3.0
Dublin	Blanchardstown	49	2.5
	Clondalkin	79	3.5
	Finglas	54	5.5
	Gardiner Street	150	12.5
	Mount Street	53	2.0
	Ormond Quay	274	10.0
	Tallaght	85	4.5
Galway	Galway	86	1.5
Kerry	Tralee	223	13.0
Kildare	Newbridge	170	15.0
Kilkenny	Kilkenny	90	7.5
Laois	Portlaoise	12	2.0
Limerick	Limerick	61	5.0
Longford	Longford	12	1.0
Louth	Dundalk	67	6.0
Mayo	Castlebar	26	1.0
Meath	Navan	54	4.0
Monaghan	Monaghan	49	4.5
Offaly	Tullamore	45	6.0
Sligo	Sligo	10	2.5
Tipperary	Nenagh	23	5.5
Waterford	Waterford	18	1.0
Westmeath	Athlone	18	1.0
Wexford	Wexford	168	10.5
Wicklow	Wicklow	54	8.5