Legal Aid Service.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2005

Tuesday, 8 February 2005

Questions (397, 398)

Paul McGrath

Question:

443 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the measures which have been put in place to ensure the ongoing and adequate funding of the private practitioners scheme, and that the service provided by this scheme is offered to any and all qualifying applicants facing interim custody and maintenance hearings, throughout the State, as a matter of course rather than simply withdrawing the service from availability when funding runs low; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3863/05]

Written answers

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell)

The allocation for the Legal Aid Board has been increased from €18.388 million in 2004 to €21.362 million in 2005, an increase of 16%. The operation of the civil legal aid scheme is a matter for the Legal Aid Board, including continuing to provide adequate service to clients either through their law centres or through the use of private practitioners.

Paul McGrath

Question:

444 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of applications monthly for the private practitioners scheme throughout the State in 2002, 2003 and 2004 by area, together with the number of applications granted by area and monthly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3864/05]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell)

I can inform the Deputy that 27,241 legal aid certificates were granted in 2002 and 30,060 legal aid certificates were granted in 2003 under the criminal legal aid scheme. The figure for 2004 is not available at this stage and the number of applications made is not recorded.

The Legal Aid Board operates a private practitioner scheme in the District Court for civil legal aid. While the board does not maintain statistical information in respect of the number of applications or the number of legal aid certificates granted on a monthly or location basis, it maintains statistics on the number of legal aid certificates granted under the scheme on an annual basis. The number of legal aid certificates granted under the scheme for 2002 and 2003, as published in the board's annual reports for those years, were 1,604 and 895, respectively. Statistics for the year 2004 are not yet compiled and will be included in the board's annual report in due course.

The Legal Aid Board operated a private practitioner scheme in the Circuit Court on a pilot basis during 2002. A total of 145 legal aid certificates were granted under the scheme in 2002, broken down by location as follows: Dublin, 50; Donegal, eight; Cork south, 21; Kerry, 14; Kildare, one; Wexford, 49; Tipperary, 2.