557. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any review, evaluation or value-for-money analysis of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme has been published since the IGEES review completed in 2018; whether the internal review of 350,000 District Court cases from 2022 and 2023 repeatedly referenced by the Minister in communications on this topic was externally validated or peer-re…
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
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Showing questions under the heading Legal Aid.
179 questions match, newest first.
558. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to the refusal to publish the internal review of 350,000 District Court cases from 2022 and 2023 on the grounds that the underlying dataset contains personal information, whether he will publish the aggregated and anonymised findings, neither of which constitutes personal data for the purposes of the General Data Protection Reg…
559. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he will publish the terms of reference, methodology, data sources and assumptions used in the review of 350,000 District Court cases, including how “unnecessary adjournments” were defined and measured; if the review analysed had any difference in the nature; the extent of adjournments sought by the prosecution in cases with cri…
560. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 201 of 25 March 2026, which did not state the proposed fee, the precise set fee to be paid per defendant under the reformed District Court Criminal Legal Aid scheme; the reduced fee payable where a matter is sent forward or returned for trial; whether any appearances beyond those notionally covered…
561. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the review’s comparison of legally-aided cases (313 days, 5 appearances) with non-aided cases (133 days, 3 appearances) controlled for charge seriousness, indictable versus summary disposal, plea, contested status, employment and homeless status of the accused, the existence of mental health issues that might reasonably be fore…
562. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the projected additional cost arising from adjournments, appeals and judicial review proceedings brought by or on behalf of unrepresented accused following the reform, net of any efficiency gain, given his statement that the reform is “not intended to reduce the cost to the State”; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48947/…
563. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Office of the Attorney General was consulted in relation to the compatibility of the proposed reforms with Article 38.1 of the Constitution and Article 6 ECHR; whether any constitutional or legal concerns were raised during the development of the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48951/26]
577. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the status of any ongoing negotiations to resolve the withdrawal of legal services over the civil legal aid fee in the Courts Services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49058/26]
354. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether an assessment has been made of the risk that the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme, which could result in reduced participation by solicitors in criminal legal aid work; the implications of any such reduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48436/26]
545. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the system of compliance monitoring and oversight that has been in operation in respect of the criminal legal aid scheme by his Department during the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47752/26]
546. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of applications for payment that were made to his Department in respect of certificates granted pursuant to Regulation 7(4) of the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Regulations, 1965 (S.I. No. 12/1965); the number of payments that were made on the basis of such claims for payment pursuant to Regulation (7)4, in each of the years…
547. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the amount paid to solicitors and barristers based upon legal aid certificates granted pursuant to Regulation 7(4) of the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 12/1965), in each of the years 2021 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47754/26]
548. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of applications for payment pursuant to Regulation 7(4) that have been made to his Department that were refused and the reason for the refusal, in each of the years 2021 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47755/26]
564. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if any provision is made concerning payments beyond the flat rate proposed for criminal and civil legal aid fees where a case is complex and may require a number of court appearances. [47861/26]
713. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the analysis that has been conducted by his Department to determine the number of solicitors in the country intending to withdraw from servicing free legal aid cases when his Department introduces the new flat rate for such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45805/26]
715. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of staff, by role, including solicitors, paralegals, mediators, administrative and other staff employed by the Legal Aid Board currently and in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45948/26]
1297. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to confirm that in relation to criminal legal aid, the main criminal legal aid scheme is not currently under the administration of the Legal Aid Board and is centrally administered by his Department and that any payments for translation and interpretation services in relation to the main criminal legal aid scheme would therefore be ad…
1298. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the payments made by his Department in each year from 2018 to date with respect to the provision of translation and interpretation services through the main criminal legal aid centrally administered by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41551/26]
288. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of cases that proceeded before the District Court and which involved an accused that had the benefit of criminal legal aid; the total value of criminal legal aid provided in those cases, in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38501/26]
10. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the proposed changes to the legal aid scheme; how these proposals are consistent with the programme for Government commitment to restore legal fees; to clarify the extent to which relevant stakeholders were consulted prior to the publication of these proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35591/26]
12. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on his Department's engagement with the Law Society of Ireland and other stakeholders ahead of the changes to the operation of legal aid at the District Court; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34694/26]
51. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any assessment has been made of the risk that the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme could result in reduced participation by solicitors in criminal legal aid work; the implications of any such reduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35606/26]
65. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the assessments that have been carried out on the potential impact of the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme on access to legal representation and the constitutional right to a fair trial; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35605/26]
76. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will outline measures to improve access to legal aid services for people in rural areas of Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35792/26]
656. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department will request the Legal Aid Board to develop a methodology to estimate the full cost of legal aid services provided to international protection applicants, including pay, law centre overheads, administrative costs, private practitioner costs, counsel fees, interpretation, translation, medical reports and related s…