Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Public Accounts Committee
2014 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Vote 3: Office of the Attorney General
Vote 5: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Vote 6: Office of the Chief State Solicitor
10:00 am
Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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Let us be frank. If something goes wrong in the legal profession, someone is seriously discomfited. There are liberty issues. It is very serious. It is not to be likened to some other professions. This is something we constantly hear. Everybody is shocked when they hear about the cost of the legal fees, both counsel fees and solicitors' fees, associated with a case. Millions of euro is being paid in fees and one of the primary actors in that is the Bar. There does not seem to be recognition, certainly, in the way State procures services, that there is potential for a competitive market which could reduce the costs.