Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will outline the current delays in accessing civil legal aid on a county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22637/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that details of waiting times for non-prioritised matters at each of the Legal Aid Board's law centres as at 1 April 2012 are set out below. Figures for 1 May 2012 are not available yet. I acknowledge that waiting times have increased since the downturn in the economy and that there has been a very significant increase in demand for the Board's services. The Board's grant-in-aid for 2012 in respect of general civil matters, which accounts for the vast majority of its funding, has effectively been maintained at its 2011 level. I have also now incorporated the grant for asylum services into the grant-in-aid which should give the Board greater flexibility in using its resources. A number of other measures have also either already been put in place or are in the process of being put in place and I believe that these will have a positive impact for persons seeking services from the Board. Specific details are as follows:

· The Board has outsourced to private solicitors significantly more work in recent years than it did a number of years ago. There is of course a budgetary constraint on what can be referred and it is not possible to accommodate all of the additional demand through private referral;

· As of 1 November 2011 the Board assumed responsibility for the Family Mediation Service (following the enactment of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011). The Board is currently reviewing the operation of the State funded mediation service with a view to achieving synergies with its legal services and better options in terms of resolving family disputes;

· The arrangements on foot of which barristers are retained have been in place since 1998 and are currently under review. There will be a level of restructuring of the current arrangements;

· The Board is working with individual law centres with a view to trying to deliver greater efficiencies in a number of its centres. It is assisted in this regard by the preparation of a Value for Money Review Report prepared by my Department and the Department of Finance (now the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform); and

· The Board has commenced a pilot 'triage' service. The objective of the pilot service is to ensure that every applicant for services sees a solicitor within a period of one month for the purpose of obtaining early legal advice. While it is acknowledged that those seeking further services will experience a waiting period, it is anticipated that an early consultation will benefit the client in terms of signposting actions clients can take themselves as well as signposting other support services. The pilot service has commenced in five of the Board's law centres – Sligo, Nenagh, Cavan, Wicklow and Athlone. It is anticipated that the pilot service will commence in the remaining centres shortly.

· Law Centre Maximum current waiting time 31/03/12

(months)

Dublin

Blanchardstown 7

Brunswick Street 8

Clondalkin 12

Finglas 6

Gardiner Street 9

Tallaght 9

Cork

Popes Quay 6

South Mall 7

Athlone 6

Castlebar 5

Cavan 6

Dundalk 0

Ennis 6

Galway 5

Kilkenny 8

Letterkenny 4

Limerick 4

Longford 6

Monaghan 2

Navan 6

Nenagh 8

Newbridge 9

Portlaoise 9

Sligo 7

Tralee 4

Tullamore 2

Waterford 6

Wexford 4

Wicklow 8