P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 188: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount paid by his Department in legal fees for each of the years from 2000 to date in 2010; the amount paid in legal fees by each of the agencies and bodies under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29131/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Government Departments do not directly pay for the legal services provided by the Office of the Attorney General and the Chief State Solicitor's Office or for advice from Counsel briefed by them. My Department has a Legal Division, staffed by qualified legal professionals who provide legal advice on a wide range of international legal issues. Having such in-house legal experts reduces the costs which would be incurred if the Department was to engage externally for similar services. Nevertheless, there are from time to time occasions where a need to engage external legal services arises, where the necessary specialised expertise is not available within my Department and cannot be accessed from the AG or CSSO, for example in regard to advice relating to the lease or purchase of Embassy properties abroad. I have provided details in the following table on the costs for external legal services in respect of general and property related legal fees in Ireland and overseas. It has not been possible to provide information prior to 2004 in the time available. There are no state agencies operating under the remit of my Department.