Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 552: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to expand the areas of law that the Civil Legal Aid Board can deal with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29861/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that under section 41 of the Civil Partnership Bill 2009 as initiated, it is planned to amend section 28(9)(c)(i) of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 to provide that legal aid may be provided in relation to disputes between civil partners relating to the shared home or to property, notwithstanding the general prohibition in section 28(9)(a)(ii) on providing legal aid relating to disputes concerning rights and interests in or over land.

It is also expected that civil partnership law proceedings and proceedings between cohabitants as provided for in that Bill will meet the general criteria for obtaining civil legal aid as set out in section 28(2), just as family law proceedings currently do.