Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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There was a 9% fall in Legal Aid (Criminal) because this is a demand-led subhead where we have seen a reduction. It is always difficult to predict the final outturn for the year. It depends on the volume of legal aid certificates that are issued and the length and complexities of cases, especially in the Circuit Court and higher courts. In 2020, the expenditure was in the region of €62 million. The original allocation for 2021 was €69 million, which was increased through a technical Supplementary Estimate process to €77 million. The actual expenditure for last year was €72.7 million. This is demand-led so it is hard to predict how that will change. The legal aid custody issue, as the Chair outlined, is a more significant drop of 38%. The original Estimate for 2021 was €3 million, which increased, through a further Supplementary Estimate process, by €3.5 million, to €6.5 million. Actual expenditure was around €6 million, including arrears of approximately €1.5 million, which will not occur again. It is demand-led and included once-off payments.