The Deputy will appreciate that the circumstances in which my Department incurs expenditure in relation to legal fees are varied, and can include for example direct expenditure on legal fees, expenditure on legal fees for other parties in particular circumstances, and money expended in relation to legal services. I am advised that the enclosed table and link outline various kinds of expenditure incurred by my Department in each of the past three years and to date in 2018.
In addition to the information in the table and at the link, the following third party legal costs were paid for from my Department's vote in 2015 and 2016:
Year
|
Brief description of Contract /Service
|
Amount
|
2015
|
Smithwick Tribunal - Third Party Legal Costs
|
€5,217,374.09
|
2016
|
Smithwick Tribunal - Third Party Legal Costs
|
€56,047.41
|
Dept of Justice and Equality Response