Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2020
280. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the expenditure his Department incurred in respect of external legal fees in each of the years from 2016 to date in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14075/20]
View answerMy Department seeks, where possible, to minimise legal costs and avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's office, the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency in terms of the provision of legal advice and representation of the Department in court cases.
The following table sets out details in relation to external legal services provided directly to my Department by legal firms from 2016 to date in 2020. The table does not include costs associated with the Planning Tribunal.
|
Company name |
Details of legal fees / services |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
2017 |
2016 |
|
€ |
€ |
€ |
€ |
€ |
||
|
A&L Goodbody |
Legal advice on Water Abstraction |
23,985 |
23,985 |
|||
|
A&L Goodbody |
Legal advice on Water and Planning Guidance |
01 |
||||
|
Arthur Cox |
Legal Advice on Foreshore Consent Issues |
4,045 |
83,623 |
113,110 |
33,070 |
|
|
Arthur Cox |
Professional Fees in relation to Land Development Agency |
102,716 |
171,146 |
|||
|
E. C. Gearty |
Legal Fees incurred by Longford County Council in relation to Elfeet piggery |
6,775 |
||||
|
Eversheds Sutherland |
Legal advice - PPP Bundles (procurement/tenders) |
157,554 |
260,529 |
48,922 |
167,200 |
22,407 |
|
Geoffrey Fox |
Drafting of EU (Planning and Development) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2018 |
43,050 |
||||
|
Hannah Godfrey BL |
Payment of fees for legal services during 2018; Judicial Review Casey v Min Housing, Planning and Local Government |
11,236 |
||||
|
Hugh O’Neill SC |
Facilitation fee for settlement of Atlantic Shellfish Case. |
10,250 |
||||
|
Paul Gilligan SC |
Payment of legal fees for mediation at court case involving Sea Fibre Networks & Celtic Connect V Min for Housing, Planning & Local Govt |
12,300 |
||||
|
McCann Fitzgerald |
Professional services relating to 2015 supplier dispute |
2,568 |
||||
|
McKeever Solicitors |
Witnessing signature of an affidavit |
10 |
||||
|
Patrick Butler SC |
Independent non-statutory review of files held by the Department |
8,610 |
||||
|
Patrick Butler SC |
Preparation of report as authorised person under S. 224 of the Local Government Act 2001 |
39,475 |
||||
|
Philip Lee Solicitors |
Legal opinion on HAP Scheme |
10,322 |
||||
|
TOTAL |
€223,696 |
€488,864 |
€397,656 |
€224,265 |
€22,407 |
1 Invoice awaited
