Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 141: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the total amount paid to solicitors under the legal aid scheme for criminal cases in the past year for which figures are available; if there is any information available as to the extent to which adjournments add to costs in such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19690/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The total amount paid to solicitors and barristers under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme in 2009 was €37m and €20m respectively. Regulations provide that no fee is payable to a solicitor in respect of any day on which the hearing consists only of an application for adjournment made, in the opinion of the court, for the solicitor's convenience. Data cannot easily be extracted in relation to the additional costs of adjournments but, as the Deputy is aware, they add to costs across the criminal justice system generally.

The cost of the operation of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme is of concern to the Government. My Department is developing proposals for reform of the Scheme in the context of the forthcoming Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) (Amendment) Bill.