Ms Eilis Barry:

I re-emphasise that we are keen that the Legal Aid Board should have an educational function, which it currently does not have. It is not a given the task of going out and advertising the fact people can get legal aid in respect of the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act. It is also very important that when socially protective legislation is introduced, the Oireachtas would carry out a legal aid audit before it is passed so some cognisance is given to what impact it will have on the Legal Aid Board. For example, there has been a lot of talk about the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act. Potentially, well over 10,000 people may now be entitled to legal aid and, if that was to be advertised, it would bring the Legal Aid Board to its knees. While it is useful legislation that we advocated for, we also advocated that the budget of the Legal Aid Board would be increased to be able to deal with the demand, and that did not happen in any shape or form. If we are going to have education, which we would welcome, there has to be an audit and the resources have to be targeted at the Legal Aid Board.