Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

On the point made by my colleague on the Opposition side in relation to the disparity between large law firms and the remainder of the legal profession, coming from the legal profession, I can acknowledge that that is the case. Another issue, which may not be one for today's debate but which the Minister of State might bring to the attention of the Government, is the role of the Government and semi-State companies in awarding contracts to the larger firms. In my experience, part of the reason for this is because requests for tender for legal and other services require those tendering to have all sorts of coverage, which to be honest one would want to be digging a well in the North Sea to have. This results in the exclusion of small to medium-sized firms from competing for business. I ask that the Minister of State draw this issue to the attention of the Government. While I accept the concern in regard to the provision of legal services, which is valid, we must ensure that competition is real competition. There should not be false impositions on genuine competition.