Ms Eileen Creedon:

It relates to the overall spend on counsels' fees. I have a list of cases and information on what each cost. The overrun for which I will propose a supplementary budget owes to the increased complexity of the work being done by my office. I have had a large number of high-profile files and there has been increased activity in my office for a number of reasons, for example, the law has become more complex. When I examine files on judicial reviews, the increased activity takes the form of more advices and consultations and longer running times for cases. There is a faster throughput of cases at High Court level and the Court of Appeal has increased the number of cases with which we deal.

The other Accounting Officers made a point that I did not make in my opening statement but which I will now. Expenditure on counsels' fees remains 44% lower than in 2008. Even taking into account the supplementary budget that I will seek, overall expenditure on counsels' fees will be 30% lower than it was in 2008. In recent years, there has been a reduction in my budget allocation for counsels' fees. While I had been maintaining my office within budget for a number of years, that did not prove possible this year.