Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am not suggesting the witnesses should have. I am a barrister, which is in my declaration of interests etc, but I will speak from a personal perspective. The former Chief Justice has talked about the barrier expense is to litigation in Ireland. People either have to have nothing, in which case it does not really matter because there is nothing to go after, or they have so much money it does not matter. If they are anywhere in between, they cannot really afford litigation.

I have found that farmers are particularly reluctant to engage in litigation. Obviously, they have land in their name and if litigation goes belly up - people could have the best case in the world but they cannot ever be certain, no more than it is certain in any walk of life what will happen - their farms are marked for costs. As a practising solicitor, does Mr. Anhold accept that farmers, as a cohort and grouping in society, and landowners in general, are very reluctant to engage in litigation?