Legal Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 January 2011

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Ceisteanna (858)

Alan Shatter

Ceist:

911 Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs in each of the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 the arrangements entered into by his Department for the obtaining of advice from a firm of solicitors and-or from senior or junior counsel; in each case the subject matter in respect of which advices were sought, the name of the solicitors firm and or barristers concerned and the fees paid; the nature of the work concerned, that is, whether it involved the drafting of legislation or the obtaining of legal advices; whether in each case the matter concerned was advertised for tender and where not, why not. [1617/11]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs (Deputy Pat Carey)

The table below sets out the details sought by the Deputy in relation to the three occasions where my Department directly obtained advice from a firm of solicitors, or from Senior or Junior Counsel, between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2010. In each case, the services of external solicitors and/or barristers were procured to provide essential legal advice, legal opinion or to carry out specialist legal work where the legal expertise required was not available in-house. Competitive tendering processes were not held in the cases in question on the basis that the solicitors/barristers had extensive, specialist knowledge of the particular relevant areas.

Name of Solicitors/Barristers	Amount paid & relevant year	Subject matter in respect of which legal advice was sought	Nature of work involved
	€
Alexander J Ownes	21,6142007	Land access for recreational use	To examine and make recommendations on legal issues around land access for recreational use
Seán Ó Cearbhaill	612008	Gaeltacht Schemes	To witness and provide a legal signature to a document
A & L Goodbody	6,0942009	Tender competition for the provision of the Aran Islands passenger ferry services	To undertake a review of the decision to award contracts