Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister of State have any idea of the date the review will be finalised? We all know from dealing with these issues over the years, that the sector focuses primarily on family law centres. Will it be expanding into employment, landlord and tenant or advocacy such as in the United Kingdom? Many of us have received emails from constituents on this issue. There has been an industrial action of sorts in the criminal legal aid sector, undertaken by barristers who want the reversal of the austerity cuts which were made more than ten years ago and proper funding of the criminal legal aid scheme. The situation is not acceptable and we are at increasing risk of a two-tier system developing. After the crash, the legal aid scheme was supposed to be increased by 20%, but it was decreased by 20%. Those cuts have remained in place for a period of approximately ten years. It is always important that if one wants to guarantee a fair trial and a system of sorts to be fit for purpose, people who are at risk of imprisonment have a constitutional right. It does not matter how many people stand up in county councils throughout the country or even in this Chamber to say it should be denied to them, they have constitutional rights which should be vindicated.

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