asked the Minister for Finance the fees payable at present by the State to a prosecuting senior counsel for (a) taking a case and (b) in respect of each day the case is heard in court.
Written Answers. - Fees Paid to Prosecuting Senior Counsel.
38.
The average brief fee paid to a senior counsel appearing for the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Circuit Criminal Court is 500 guineas. Where a case continues for more than one day, a refresher fee in respect of each additional day is payable and amounts to half of the brief fee, that is, 250 guineas. It is not usual to employ the services of a senior counsel in the Circuit Criminal Courts unless the case is sufficiently serious or complex.
In murder cases in the Central Criminal Court, a senior counsel is usually employed and the average brief fee payable in those instances is 700 guineas, with half of that fee as a refresher for each additional day of hearing.