Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the amount of money paid in the years 2010, 2011 and 2012 by persons making a contribution towards the cost of the free legal aid that was provided to them by the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6160/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that civil legal aid is provided by the Legal Aid Board, a statutory independent body. As I am sure the Deputy is aware, civil legal aid is not free and in accordance with the Civil Legal Aid Act, 1995, and the associated regulations, each applicant in receipt of civil legal aid or advice is required to make a contribution towards the cost of the service.

The contribution is calculated with reference to the person's disposable income and any disposable assets they may own. I am advised that currently, the minimum contribution payable is €10 for legal advice and €50 for legal aid (i.e. where the case involves court representation). In a small number of cases, the contribution is waived. The Deputy will also be aware that the legislation makes provision for the Board to recover its costs where a person in receipt of legal aid or advice receives an award or settlement on foot of the case.

Details concerning the monies received by the Board in respect of contributions and costs recovered for the relevant years are set out in the table hereunder. It should be noted that monies received in respect of civil legal aid includes asylum-related cases handled by the Board's Refugee Legal Service.