Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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If the Minister or I were to do avox popin any part of this State and ask people what is the biggest issue of concern regarding barristers, they would say cost. Let us be clear, not all barristers are fortunate to benefit from Government contracts but when the cost of a day in the High Court is prohibitive in terms of enabling people to get access to justice or to defend themselves against the State it become a major issue. There is nothing in this Bill that deals with that. The overwhelming public interest issue is how to significantly reduce the cost of pursuing justice. Essentially what we have here is the Minister's passion, which is fair enough. He is entitled to his passion and is a learned man with strong views on these matters.