Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I concur with the sentiments expressed by Deputy D'Arcy and do not want to repeat them. This has been a very important reform in society for people on low incomes and it provides very valuable access to justice for them. I take at face value what the Minister stated about the amendment before us in terms of first satisfying the board itself that it has the power, in certain circumstances, to waive or mitigate the normal expected subscription.

"Undue" is a less onerous hurdle than "severe". I welcome its introduction in terms of dealing with the issue, which is significant. The issue was significant even at the height of the boom, as access to justice in Ireland can be expensive. People who find themselves in circumstances of having to endure low incomes have this as pretty much their only route to it.

There are solicitors and barristers who take cases pro bono. However, such cases are usually exceptional, high profile or involve important issues. They are not the everyday route to the courts.

Will the Minister of State indicate what is the general picture in terms of backlogs, waiting times and so forth? Although the position differs from county to county, one has the impression that the free legal advice centres are under a good deal of pressure, that waiting times are unreasonable for a certain type of case in which time is of the essence and that some of the centres find it difficult to respond as quickly as one would like.

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