I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department generally avails of the legal services of the Chief State Solicitor's Office and its own Legal Services Division. However, occasionally it engages private Solicitor Firms and Junior and Senior Counsel for external legal advice. The amount spent by my Department on external legal fees for the specified years is set out in the attached table. This includes expenditure on independent legal advice for the Agriculture Appeals Office.
Year
|
Expenditure incurred on External Legal Fees
€
|
2011
|
8,098
|
2012
|
1,047
|
2013
|
108,421
|
2014
|
112,784
|
2015
|
28,128
|
2016
|
37,574
|
2017
|
Nil
|
2018
|
14,404
|
2019
|
15,375
|