Legal Aid

802. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average cost per applicant of legal aid services provided to persons seeking international protection, in each year from 2019 to 2025, broken down by application stage and appeals stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29651/26]

803. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of applicants for international protection who received legal aid services in each year from 2019 to 2025; the corresponding total expenditure, in order to establish the average cost per case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29652/26]

804. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number and proportion of international protection applications supported by Legal Aid Board services that resulted in a grant of protection; a refusal; and a successful appeal, in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29653/26]

805. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department or the Legal Aid Board has conducted any value-for-money or efficiency assessment of legal aid expenditure in respect of international protection applicants since 2019; if so, to provide details; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29654/26]

806. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any expenditure ceiling, budgetary control mechanism, or forecasting model is in place in respect of legal aid services for international protection applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29655/26]

807. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether Ireland's expenditure per capita on legal aid services for international protection applicants has been benchmarked against other EU Member States; if so, to provide the findings of such benchmarking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29659/26]

808. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether consideration has been given to expanding access to legal representation for Irish citizens in areas currently excluded or limited, including housing disputes and tribunal-based matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29660/26]

2083. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average and median amounts paid to a barristers in County Meath providing criminal legal aid services for the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25349/26]

2145. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of people that applied, those granted and any individuals that were subsequently refused access to free legal aid over the past six years, broken down by court house across Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26400/26]

200. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the changes he proposes to bring to the criminal legal aid scheme, including all elements of the revised fee structure, whether any changes will require amendments to legislation or be enacted by regulation; the proposed timeframe for implementation of each change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [229…

201. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether, as part of the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme, it is intended to introduce a flat-fee model for District Court criminal legal aid work; and if so, the proposed level of that fee and the work it is intended to cover; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22918/26]

202. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether, under the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme, fees payable to solicitors will vary based on case complexity, number of charges, number of accused persons or duration of proceedings, or any other consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22919/26]

203. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will publish the analysis and evidence underpinning the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme, including any review of District Court cases used to inform the proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22920/26]

204. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the evidence he has received which supports the assertion that the current criminal legal aid scheme incentivises unnecessary adjournments or inefficiencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22921/26]

205. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the projected annual savings arising from the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme; the details of any cost-benefit analysis undertaken, including potential downstream costs such as delays, appeals or retrials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22923/26]

206. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the proposed fee structure under the revised criminal legal aid scheme represents an increase or decrease in effective remuneration for solicitors undertaking criminal legal aid work, including any modelling carried out in that regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22924/26]

207. 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. [22925/26]

208. 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. [22926/26]

209. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of solicitors currently participating in the criminal legal aid scheme, the trends in participation in recent years; the workforce impact assessment conducted in relation to the proposed changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22927/26]

210. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the consultation process undertaken in relation to the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme; the stakeholders consulted; the nature of that consultation and the way in which feedback has informed the proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22932/26]

211. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the way in which the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme align with commitments in the Programme for Government to restore criminal legal aid fees; the basis for any assertion that the proposals constitute a restoration rather than a reduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22933/26]

212. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the meetings that he or his officials held with the Law Society in respect of the criminal legal aid scheme since he took office and prior to the announcement of proposed changes to the fee structure under the scheme; whether any proposed meetings were cancelled or postponed by his Department; whether there are furt…

713. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of solicitors providing criminal legal aid services in each of the years from 2021 to 2025 on a per county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22135/26]

715. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of solicitors providing criminal legal aid services in each of the years from 2021 to 2025, on a per county basis, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22150/26]

716. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of barristers registered to receive criminal legal aid payments for the provision of criminal legal aid services in each of the years from 2021 to 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22151/26]