I can inform the Deputy that the Legal Aid Board does not maintain records of the number of people awaiting particular legal remedies. However, it does record the length of time the person longest on the waiting list at each law centre has waited. For the Deputy's information the table below shows the length of time the person longest on the waiting list has waited as of October, 2003 for each law centre.
The Deputy will be aware that the allocation to the Legal Aid Board for 2004 has increased by 5% to €18.388 million. This increase follows a pattern of increased funding to the Legal Aid Board since 1997. The 2004 grant-in-aid for the board represents an increase of 71% in funding since 1997. When an increase of this magnitude is compared to an increase of just 26.63% in the consumer price index during the period from January 1997 to October of this year, the Deputy will agree that in recent years the Legal Aid Board has received significantly increased resources in real terms. In addition, the board now has sanction to employ 89 solicitors throughout its law centre network, an increase of eight solicitor posts during the period in question.