Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 307: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reasoning for the Legal Aid Board's intention to establish a model law centre in Dublin City centre; the position regarding the post of managing solicitor; the number of solicitors at the Law Centre; the waiting time for legal aid boards in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26193/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that the Legal Aid Board is committed to ensuring that it provides legal services in a professional, efficient and cost effective manner and, in order to achieve that objective, it has recently carried out comprehensive reviews of its operations.

The reports emanating from these reviews have recommended that the Board should establish a "model law centre" which would be used to develop a best practice template for the operation of all of the Board's law centres. It was envisaged that such a law centre would adopt standard procedures, processes and precedents in relation to the delivery of services and that it would have a far higher reliance on an updated ICT capacity to enable much of the routine work to be processed more efficiently and effectively.

I understand that the Board has accepted these recommendations and is about to launch a model law centre on a pilot basis in Dublin, based in the Board's existing premises in North Brunswick Street. The model law centre will be used to fully test and implement the relevant recommendations of these reports and to facilitate the subsequent new procedures and processes to be rolled out across the entire Board's operations. The centre will also be used to examine innovative ways of trying to reduce waiting times for first appointments for legal assistance and advice.

It is anticipated that the model law centre, which will in due course be staffed by four solicitors, will commence its operations initially with two solicitors, including a Managing Solicitor and it will also have a number of support staff. The actual number of solicitor and support staff will be based on the work load coupled with the opportunities to redeploy staff from other areas. I understand that the position of Managing Solicitor has now been filled and the person in question has now taken up the post.

I am informed that the waiting list times for the Dublin based law centres, as at the end of May, are on average 4 months.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason the Legal Aid Board held its board meeting in its office at Cahirciveen, County Kerry; the breakdown of costs of board meetings by the Legal Aid Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26194/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Legal Aid Board's head office is located in Cahirciveen, County Kerry and it is for this reason and in keeping with normal practice that the Board considers it appropriate to hold a number of its Board meetings there. In any particular year, the Legal Aid Board holds at least half of its Board meetings in Cahirciveen with the remainder held in Dublin. In 2008, six Board meetings were held in Cahirciveen and four in Dublin. This year to date, three Board meetings have been held in Cahirciveen and three in Dublin.

The total cost of travel and subsistence from January to end of May 2009 for Board members attending meetings was around €9,000. Costs are not recorded by reference to the location of particular meetings.