Legal Aid

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 w…

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 mat…

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 r…

657. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Legal Aid Board records the outcome of international protection cases in which it provides legal assistance, including grants of protection, refusals, appeals lodged, appeals allowed, appeals withdrawn and appeals refused; if not, whether he considers this a data gap in the oversight of publicly funded l…

658. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has asked the Legal Aid Board to record legal aid expenditure in international protection cases by stage, including initial application, interview preparation, written representations, appeal preparation and appeal hearing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32907/26]

659. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any target, benchmark or performance indicator exists for the cost per completed international protection legal aid case; if not, whether he intends to introduce one through the Legal Aid Board performance delivery agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32908/26]

660. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Legal Aid Board’s internal audit programme since 2019 has examined international protection legal aid expenditure specifically; if so, to provide the title and date of each audit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32909/26]

661. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he will request the Legal Aid Board to undertake a dedicated value-for-money review of legal aid expenditure relating to international protection applicants, having regard to the increase in expenditure since 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32910/26]

662. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the 2026 Performance Delivery Agreement with the Legal Aid Board includes any specific performance indicators relating to international protection legal aid costs, case throughput, waiting times, appeal-stage expenditure or outcome tracking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32911/26]

663. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any forecasting model is used by his Department or the Legal Aid Board to estimate future demand and expenditure for international protection legal aid services; if so, to outline the assumptions used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32912/26]

664. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he intends to bring forward a timeline for implementing the recommendations of the Civil Legal Aid Review Group, including recommendations relating to tribunal-based matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32914/26]

665. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether legal representation in housing-related disputes, including disputes before the Residential Tenancies Board, is being considered as part of reform of the civil legal aid scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32915/26]

666. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has estimated the cost of extending civil legal aid to additional tribunal-based matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32916/26]

691. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to previous replies indicating that operational matters relating to civil legal aid fall within the remit of the Legal Aid Board, to clarify whether his Department retains policy, governance, or oversight responsibility in relation to civil legal aid services, including, access to such services; the allocati…

692. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether decisions regarding funding allocations and approved staffing levels for the Legal Aid Board are informed by any formal or periodic assessment of demand for civil legal aid services; if so, to outline the methodology used, including any metrics, projections, or service demand indicators applied; and if not, …

693. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any Department, agency, or cross-government mechanism is responsible for assessing overall access to civil legal aid services across all applicant categories, including Irish citizens and international protection applicants; if so, to identify that body and outline how equality of access is monitored and eva…

208. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the aspects of the flat fee proposal for criminal legal aid work at District Court level that had been disclosed to associations (details supplied) at the time of the initiation of his Departmental consultation with those parties in relation to a paper entitled 'Review of Criminal Legal Aid in the District Cour…