Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 405: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his Department has sought legal advice from outside legal advisers; and the fees paid to each such legal adviser in 2004 and 2005. [15768/06]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 406: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the legal advisers or other qualified lawyers employed in a professional capacity by State bodies under the aegis of his Department. [15782/06]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 407: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his Department has legal advisers of its own, naming the officers in question; and the reason effect has not been given to the recommendation in the report of the review into the law offices of the State, 1997, that legal advice should be given to the Government only by the Attorney General and his office. [15796/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 405 to 407, inclusive, together.

My Department does not have its own legal advisers. As a general rule, legal advice required by my Department is obtained from either the Office of the Attorney General or the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. The costs are borne directly by the offices concerned. However, by way of exception to this general rule outside legal advice was obtained on seven separate occasions either by my Department or by the national cultural institutions as shown in the table.

In the case of the agencies under the aegis of my Department, the securing of legal advice and-or the employment of legal advisers is a day-to-day matter for the agencies themselves.