P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 193: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the amount paid by her 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 her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29123/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In general, whenever the Department requires legal services, it obtains these from the Office of the Attorney General and/or the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. Any associated fee costs are borne directly by those two Offices.

However, on occasion and in exceptional circumstances, the Department, including the National Archives, may obtain legal services from other sources. In each of the years since 2002 (the year in which the predecessor Department of my current Department was established), the fee costs associated with such other legal services are as set out in tabular form.

The expenditure in 2008 and later relates primarily to legal fee costs associated with the specialised and complex Public Private Partnership processes to redevelop both the National Concert Hall and the National Theatre. In the case of the agencies under the aegis of the Department, the securing of external legal services and the associated fee costs are a matter for the agencies themselves however I have requested the relevant information from the Agencies and will forward to the Deputy.

Â1 From June 2002.

Â2 To date in 2010.