Departmental Legal Cases

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 October 2023

Wednesday, 18 October 2023

Ceisteanna (178)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

178. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of legal cases taken against his Department in each of the past ten years and to date in 2023; and the costs associated with same in each of those years. [45400/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

My Department has a broad remit covering a range of responsibilities including Housing, Water, Planning, Heritage and Local Government in addition to the functions provided by Met Éireann. From the records available to me, a summary by year of the cases brought against my Department since January 2013, including costs, is provided in the table below. My Department seeks, where possible, to minimise legal costs and avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's Office, the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency in terms of the provision of legal advice and representation of the Department. Costs have been provided where available from those bodies.

These cases/files cover a range of litigation matters, including judicial review proceedings, personal injury claims, employment law matters and constitutional challenges. The figures reflect cases where my Department is a named party. The number of cases may differ slightly from previous reports due to reclassification in the intervening period or notification delays.

Year	Number of cases	Cost €
2013	35	€4,587.00
2014	20	€130,071.75
2015	22	€81,123.00
2016	13	€346,030.06
2017	20	€310,584.90
2018	24	€207,563.01
2019	17	€439,154.50
2020	52	€235,924.50
2021	31	€143,784.00
2022	33	€100,433.00
2023 (to date)	29	€438,051.44