Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In principle, I am in favour of the annual publication of details of the cost of payments by public bodies to legal firms and practitioners. However, there needs to be an examination of how this is to be achieved. For example, should the information be included in annual reports of public bodies or made available in other sources of information? To what degree should the details of individual payments be divulged? The publication of information concerning payments may need to take account of the needs of commercial confidentiality in the context of any competitive procurement arrangements that might be in place. I envisage that my Department will, in consultation with relevant Departments and offices, set down guidelines on the level of detail to be divulged by public bodies on their legal payments and devise systems for monitoring adherence to such guidelines. The publication of such information would not of itself lead to a reduction in expenditure on legal costs. Such reductions have been effected in recent years through multiple across-the-board reductions in the level of fees paid by Departments and offices and the development of competitive tendering in the procurement of legal services by public bodies.

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