Legal advice and support services for my Department, in respect of court cases and legal challenges in which my Department is a named party, are supplied by the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Chief State Solicitor, as appropriate. From 2001 until August 2003, my Department employed a legal advisor, the gross salary for this post for the years 2001 to 2003 inclusive were:
Year
|
Gross Salary
|
|
€
|
2001
|
€34,931.28
|
2002
|
€52,474.85
|
2003
|
€32,003.86
|
In August 2003, the post was vacated when the serving officer elected to take a career break. The post has not yet been filled and my Department has incurred no other expenditure in seeking legal advice.
The costs of legal proceedings to my Department for the period in question are as follows:
Year
|
Settlement
|
Costs
|
Total
|
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
2001
|
Nil
|
Nil
|
|
2002
|
3,809.21
|
46,792.98
|
50,602.19
|
2003
|
48,637.73
|
3,084.00
|
51,721.73
|