Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the cost of free legal aid in the years 2011 and 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14476/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Total expenditure on criminal legal aid for the years referred to by the Deputy was as follows:

The Deputy will note that total expenditure for 2012 represented a reduction of 10% over 2011. This reduction in the annual expenditure is the largest ever recorded and represents a fall of approximately €10 million, or 16%, over the peak recorded in 2009. This follows savings measures introduced since I came into office including cuts to fees in the course of 2011.