Ms Ursula Regan:

I am aware of that and it has had a major impact on women and children. If somebody is eligible for legal aid is not bringing a "front-loaded" case, for want of a better description, in respect of domestic violence but is going to the Legal Aid Board to go through the process of separation or divorce, in certain counties that person will wait up to a year for that legal representation. The person may be separating from a violent partner, although not by way of a barring order application. In the context of the legal aid boards in Dublin, the wait is probably somewhere between four and six months for an initial consultation and then it takes on a life of its own after that. There is a private practitioner scheme available where domestic violence is an issue. To a certain degree, that works but there is no continuity in it. In dealing with a woman who is fragile and the subject of domestic violence, or with children who have witnessed or been caught up in the brutality of domestic violence, there must be continuity in legal representation. If they have to go to different people and try to explain the position all over again, they will give up because of the level of frustration that arises. Excluding cases of domestic violence but including cases of guardianship, access to children and maintenance, it was confirmed to me the other day that in certain legal aid cases, a woman will not get more than one legal aid certificate per year.