Joe Walsh
Ceist:41 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount claimed by or paid to date to solicitors in respect of work carried out in relation to payment of equality arrears; and the names of such solicitors. [18564/96]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Equality Arrears Payments.
The total value of bills in respect of legal costs from solicitors acting on behalf of women who have initiated legal proceedings arising from the delay in according them equal treatment under the Equal Treatment Directive in cases in which costs have been paid to date is £4,331,768. The amount paid in these cases following negotiations by the Chief State Solicitor and in some instances, on adjudication by the taxing master, which include two cases in which a further balancing payment may have to be made, is £2,257,140. This is a significant saving for the State by my Department and the Chief State Solicitor's Office.
I have obtained legal advice as to the extent to which the amounts paid to individual solicitors and the names of such solicitors should be divulged and I have been advised that because of the terms upon which some of the cases were settled, I should not at present make known the names of all the solicitors involved. I have arranged, however, to have the matter examined further.
The Minister's reply is most unsatisfactory. We are talking about £4.331 million of taxpayers' money paid to solicitors involved in equality arrears payments. We know from earlier replies from the Minister that some solicitors were paid in excess of £500,000. This House and the public are entitled to know who obtained the money. Will the Minister give the names of the solicitors involved?
I will correct the Deputy again. The figure claimed was £4.331 million, but the figure paid on foot of those claims was £2.257 million, a significant saving on the claims made by solicitors. The problem I have in terms of divulging names is that it was only this morning I received legal advice on what I might or might not do in regard to certain solicitors and I need time to examine that advice. I treat everybody fairly in terms of the information I give in this House and I propose to provide whatever information I am enabled to give under legal advice in the House or by way of letter as soon as the amount of information I can give is clear to me.
That is most unsatisfactory. On 20 June this year the Minister said he paid £616,000 to one solicitor and £500,000 to another. It is not good enough that the destination of taxpayers' money is not made known to the House. This is the third time I have raised this matter. I will ask my colleagues in the Committee of Public Accounts, who as we saw earlier this week are able to establish where taxpayers' money goes, to get to the root of this matter. The Minister is refusing point blank to give the names involved and there is no good reason for that.
I received legal advice this morning which I need to study and as soon as I have done that I will be in a position to say what information I can provide on the names of solicitors who have received money. I am not reluctant to divulge this information. I will be more than happy to give the names of solicitors and the amounts paid as soon as I am free to do so.