Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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80. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of Solicitors and Barristers the State Claims Agency directly employs; his views on the legal staffing of the Agency; how this has changed since 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3584/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) has advised that it employs 30 solicitors and 3 barristers that are assigned to its State Claims Agency (SCA) function. 16 solicitors are employed as clinical claims managers, being specialists in the management of clinical negligence claims, whilst 11 solicitors are employed as in-house litigation managers. Two solicitors are employed as legal cost accountants in the SCA's Legal Costs Unit. Three barristers and a solicitor are employed as general claims managers.

The NTMA has advised that the SCA is adequately staffed to meet its claims and litigation management functions and it is also assisted in its litigation management by its external panels of solicitors, located countrywide and an external panel of barristers. Currently, the SCA has 41 solicitors and 170 barristers on its panels for the clinical and general claim portfolios.

In April 2014, the SCA s remit was further extended with the delegation to it by Government of the management of personal injury and third-party property damage claims in respect of an additional 61 public bodies, bringing the total number within the SCA s remit from 56 to 117. Another delegation by Government in June 2015 has further increased the number of public bodies within SCA s remit to 129. Any increase in staffing levels is in line with the additional responsibilities of the SCA.

The Agency constantly keeps its legal staffing under review, having regard to the size and demands of the claims portfolio of the SCA.