Ms Eilis Barry:

Specific changes were made, such as the budget for court IT services, which was cut dramatically during the recession and which needs substantial investment. That should not be a major investment but it should be relatively easy to get a proper court website together. That would be very important. The budget for the Legal Aid Board needs to be set at a certain limit and more resources required. We do not say that if a person pays a certain amount, he or she will have access to a Rolls-Royce legal aid service. We are looking for multiple solutions, some of which will cost money and some of which will not, such as having someone in court who will be available to lay litigants. I would not think that would be a significant financial resource but it would be meaningful for people trying to access the courts by themselves.