Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to hear that the review will commence in the coming weeks. Could the Minister of State confirm that the review group will be chaired by a judge or somebody of similar standing with an interest in public law and access to justice?

I am a little concerned because the Minister of State referred a couple of times to "the finite resources available". For a civil legal aid system to work, it must be properly resourced. I accept every Department works within finite resources, but in the current climate where we are talking about women in particular having access to justice, we know that lone parents and people in situations of domestic violence are especially vulnerable on a number of fronts but, in particular, in their access to justice. I ask that the legal aid scheme be properly resourced.