Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will know only too well that from a fisheries point of view we regularly end up in court, including in respect of cases we need to take and where we are taken to court. It is important we win those cases. To do so, we must pay in terms of legal advice. We have a very good legal team within the Department but must also at times seek the opinion of senior counsel.

While it appears to be a significant increase on last year, I assure the committee that the Department only spends money when necessary. If we lose some of the cases in question, the costs will be much higher. Deputies may be familiar with some of these cases. I receive regular reports on the legal challenges we face. The figure for 2013 is still an estimate, whereas the figure for the previous year was the actual expenditure. We may not spend this money but it is important to take a conservative approach to the amount the Department will spend on legal costs. I hope we will not spend the amount provided.