Vol. 475 No. 2
32 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform if he will instruct staff in the legal aid board offices around the country to advise the general public where they should go for aid in criminal cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3929/97]
I am advised by the Legal Aid Board that its staff are familiar with the procedures to be followed by a person seeking a grant of legal aid in criminal cases. There is, in fact, an obligation imposed on the Legal Aid Board by section 26 (2) (a) of the Civil Legal Aid Act, 1995, to provide legal advice in respect of a criminal law matter where such advice concerns the procedure by which legal aid may be obtained under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act, 1962, in which case the applicant shall qualify for such legal advice free of any contribution. I have been informed by the board that this provision of the Act was addressed at staff seminars held in September and October 1996 on the introduction of the Act.
