James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I have said, there have been significant increases in the budget for criminal legal aid but that does not address the individual pay of representatives, which is a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. That Department is responsible for all issues around pay.

A review of civil legal aid is under way in terms of how it works and what qualifies for aid. Obviously there are other areas where one can get civil aid supports. A review is being carried out. I agree that it is a long time since civil legal aid has been reviewed. The review will be very important as it will help us to see where it goes in future. Traditionally, legal aid has mostly been for family law and it has been quite challenging to get civil legal aid beyond family law. We look forward to the review and seeing where we go with it from there.