Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 October 2023
93. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence 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. [45392/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department's Litigation Branch manages litigation claims taken against the Minister for Defence. In doing so, the Branch works closely with both the State Claims Agency (SCA) and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO). Personal injury cases taken against the Minister for Defence are managed on behalf of the Minister for Defence by the SCA, and Employment Law matters taken against the Minister for Defence are managed on behalf of the Minister for Defence by the CSSO.
The total number of cases administered by the Department's Litigation Branch in each year from 2013 to 2022, and up to 30 September 2023 are outlined in the table below.
|
Year Received |
Total |
|
2013 |
130 |
|
2014 |
167 |
|
2015 |
158 |
|
2016 |
130 |
|
2017 |
135 |
|
2018 |
248 |
|
2019 |
179 |
|
2020 |
95 |
|
2021 |
104 |
|
2022 |
61 |
|
2023 (Up to 30 Sept) |
61 |
The Deputy will be aware that a case does not always start and finish in the same calendar year, and in some instances the cases can run over a number of years. The figures provided above show the number of new cases received in each of the years 2012 to date. The total number of cases that are ongoing as at 30 September 2023 is 494 cases.
Total Costs Incurred on Claims Managed by Litigation Branch per Year
|
2013 |
€3,701,690 |
|
2014 |
€4,036,483 |
|
2015 |
€3,629,844 |
|
2016 |
€3,797,539 |
|
2017 |
€3,660,409 |
|
2018 |
€7,019,502 |
|
2019 |
€3,267,834 |
|
2020 |
€6,910,113 |
|
2021 |
€5,491,304 |
|
2022 |
€5,597,332 |
|
2023 (Up to 30 Sept) |
€3,520,130 |
