535. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63616/25]
Topics / Departmental Legal Cases
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsDepartmental Legal Cases
287 questions from 34 TDs, between 5 February 2025 and 6 October 2026.
287
questions
286 written, 1 oral
34
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
18
departments asked
This is one of the catch-all headings the Oireachtas uses for how a department runs rather than what a question is about, so it is left out of the range and focus figures.
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 3 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 1 |
| June 2025 | 9 |
| July 2025 | 83 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 1 |
| October 2025 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 17 |
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 126 |
| February 2026 | 4 |
| March 2026 | 2 |
| April 2026 | 25 |
| May 2026 | 2 |
| June 2026 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 2 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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200
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16
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15
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6
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5
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4
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3
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3
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
597. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63624/25]
722. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63628/25]
874. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63613/25]
934. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving her Department and/or agencies within the aegis of her Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63614/25]
1175. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63622/25]
1184. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63627/25]
546. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of cases taken against her Department in each of the past five years including to date in 2025; the number of those which relate to issues of school places in each of the past five years including to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61876/25]
1866. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Health if she accepts that the average cost of a legal claim for medical negligence in Ireland is almost three times higher than in the UK; that cases take over 50 per cent longer to resolve than in the UK; her views that a medical negligence claim in Ireland takes 1,462 days on average (four years), 14 per cent longer than in South Africa and 56 per cent lo…
156. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of legal actions initiated against her Department in respect of the Disability Act in each year since 2020 to date in 2025; the numbers in which a settlement was reached; the numbers in which cases are ongoing, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57593/25]
157. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total expenditure within her Department in each year since 2020 to date in 2025, on legal costs associated with cases taken in respect of the Disability Act; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57594/25]
158. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total expenditure within her Department in each year since 2020 to date in 2025, on settlements associated with cases taken in respect of the Disability Act; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57595/25]
230. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total cost of medical negligence litigation against the HSE and her Department from 2014 to date in 2025; to include awards made in the courts; settlements made out of court to resolve disputes, and legal costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52571/25]
1417. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the involvement he or his Department had in reaching a settlement with the former director of an agency (details supplied); the cost to the Exchequer, inclusive of the settlement, legal fees and other costs associated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48530/25]
6. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach the amount spent on legal fees associated with litigation, advice and settlements in each of the past three years by his Department and agencies under its aegis. [40888/25]
8. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; and how fees are monitored for compliance. [41512/25]
9. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer. [41530/25]
10. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41548/25]
11. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach if his Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41566/25]
12. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41584/25]
13. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach if his Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; and, if not, the reason such options are not considered. [41602/25]
14. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Taoiseach whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and total overrun; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41620/25]
163. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the amount spent on legal fees associated with litigation, advice and settlements in each of the past three years by his Department and agencies under its aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40874/25]
176. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; how fees are monitored for compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41498/25]
177. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41516/25]