Dr. Brian Doherty:

I will address Deputy Wallace's previous question on the admission of people from less wealthy backgrounds into the legal profession. As Dr. Thornhill mentioned, the LSRA has just finished a public consultation exercise on legal education and training in the State. This was done under section 34 of the Act and the report is broad and significant for the LSRA. We have a research team currently involved in pulling together a wide range of data. One of the issues to be encompassed within that report is access to legal education and professional training as solicitors and barristers for those from a less wealthy background. The LSRA will address that issue and a range of other matters in its report to the Minister, which, by statute, must be submitted by 30 September this year.

As Dr. Thornhill said, a number of aspects of the 2015 Act deal with legal costs. One point I will add to what Dr. Thornhill already said is that the LSRA will be able to investigate any complaints of charging of excessive costs. The LSRA will have a research function and will publish information on the costs of legal services. Under the Act - I believe it is under section 150 - legal practitioners will be required to provide estimates of the cost of legal services in advance of providing those services. There are a number of different aspects that will hopefully increase transparency around legal costs for the benefit of the consumer and may also serve to bring costs down.