John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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295. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the costs involved in individual cases brought to the courts by the special investigations unit of his Department over the past ten years where the Chief State Solicitor's office represented his Department and where the cases were withdrawn, ended or lost by the State; the cost to date of the 17 cases pending before the courts and the projected costs to their completion; the cost of the three cases which are the subject of judicial review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47814/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not maintain records of the cost of individual cases brought to court arising from investigations by the Special Investigation Unit. The position is that the staff involved in conducting investigations and consequential court cases are generally involved in a number of investigations and court cases simultaneously and do not maintain records of the time spent on individual investigations/prosecutions. In view of this, it is not possible to provide the information requested. You will, of course, be aware from my reply to Question 37244/14 that the legal costs associated with legal proceedings initiated by my Department as a result of the investigations carried out by the Unit are generally borne by the CSSO and are a matter for that body. However, since 2004, my Department has paid €126,057 in respect of legal proceedings arising from investigations by the Special Investigation Unit. Such costs have to be seen in the context of the need to preserve the reputation of Irish agriculture and food that employs over 170,000 people and which exported €10 billion worth of food and drinks products last year.