Written answers
Tuesday, 11 April 2017
Department of Justice and Equality
Legal Aid Service Data
John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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139. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of applications for free legal aid granted in each District Court and Circuit Court area in the past three years; and the cost of the scheme in each court area over this period. [18328/17]
Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The position in relation to applications under the Criminal Legal Aid Act 1962, as amended and the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995, is set out below.
Criminal Legal Aid
Under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962, the courts, through the judiciary, are responsible for the granting of legal aid. An applicant for legal aid must establish to the satisfaction of the court that their means are insufficient to enable them to pay for legal aid themselves. The 1962 Act specifies that the court must also be satisfied that, by reason of the "gravity of the charge" or "exceptional circumstances", it is essential in the interests of justice that the applicant should have legal aid. Criminal prosecutions originate in the District Court and if so satisfied, the Judge will grant a criminal legal aid certificate. The following table below provides the number of legal aid certificates issued by District Court area. Figures are not kept in such a way as to be able to provide a breakdown of the number of applications for free legal aid granted in the Circuit Court. Total expenditure on criminal legal aid for each of the past three years is as follows - 2014 - €49.890 million; 2015 - €50.879 million; 2016 - €52.998 million. It should be noted that some expenditure may relate to applications received in a previous year.
Court Area Name | No of Applications 2014 | No of Applications 2015 | No of Applications 2016 |
---|---|---|---|
ABBEYFEALE | 10 | 0 | 0 |
ACAILL | 1 | 5 | 6 |
AN CLOCHAN LIATH | 26 | 33 | 19 |
AN DAINGEAN | 12 | 18 | 35 |
AN FAL CARRACH | 25 | 30 | 22 |
ARDEE | 95 | 103 | 94 |
ARKLOW | 239 | 239 | 252 |
ATHLONE | 337 | 417 | 511 |
ATHY | 152 | 163 | 173 |
BALLAGHADERREEN | 99 | 63 | 73 |
BALLINA | 90 | 124 | 103 |
BALLINASLOE | 292 | 255 | 352 |
BALLYSHANNON | 71 | 67 | 80 |
BANDON | 200 | 232 | 127 |
BANTRY | 100 | 105 | 79 |
BEAL AN MHUIRTHEAD | 45 | 19 | 26 |
BRAY | 777 | 812 | 898 |
BUNCRANA | 82 | 97 | 88 |
CAHIRCIVEEN | 27 | 24 | 19 |
CARLOW | 679 | 722 | 727 |
CARNDONAGH | 59 | 51 | 44 |
CARRICK ON SHANNON | 130 | 146 | 135 |
CARRICK ON SUIR | 125 | 98 | 96 |
CARRICKMACROSS | 370 | 332 | 343 |
CASHEL | 155 | 150 | 161 |
CASTLEBAR | 152 | 141 | 178 |
CASTLEREA | 231 | 223 | 266 |
CAVAN | 788 | 724 | 706 |
CILL RONAIN | 3 | 1 | 2 |
CLIFDEN | 27 | 24 | 18 |
CLONAKILTY | 125 | 106 | 86 |
CLONMEL | 370 | 367 | 381 |
CORK CITY | 3662 | 4005 | 3835 |
DOIRE AN FHEICH | 44 | 23 | 26 |
DONEGAL | 41 | 46 | 45 |
DROGHEDA | 746 | 817 | 952 |
DUBLIN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT | 23175 | 24641 | 26616 |
DUNDALK | 646 | 757 | 845 |
DUNGARVAN | 208 | 219 | 216 |
ENNIS | 1441 | 1389 | 1490 |
FERMOY | 284 | 269 | 288 |
GALWAY | 1088 | 1190 | 1124 |
GOREY | 604 | 702 | 702 |
GORT | 98 | 117 | 105 |
KENMARE | 16 | 32 | 24 |
KILCOCK | 205 | 175 | 184 |
KILKENNY | 609 | 801 | 837 |
KILLALOE | 158 | 138 | 142 |
KILLARNEY | 216 | 261 | 198 |
KILLORGLIN | 52 | 69 | 59 |
KILRUSH | 183 | 257 | 193 |
KINSALE | 2 | 0 | 0 |
LETTERKENNY | 584 | 642 | 671 |
LISMORE | 29 | 27 | 27 |
LISTOWEL | 132 | 167 | 147 |
LONGFORD | 275 | 327 | 450 |
LOUGHREA | 122 | 147 | 225 |
MACROOM | 97 | 90 | 55 |
MALLOW | 450 | 493 | 567 |
MANORHAMILTON | 13 | 19 | 13 |
MIDLETON | 321 | 340 | 430 |
MONAGHAN | 401 | 318 | 371 |
MULLINGAR | 449 | 385 | 404 |
NA GLEANNTA | 26 | 14 | 21 |
NAAS | 998 | 899 | 933 |
NAVAN | 906 | 908 | 222 |
NENAGH | 442 | 576 | 502 |
NEWCASTLE WEST | 262 | 307 | 327 |
PORTLAOISE | 704 | 728 | 773 |
ROSCOMMON | 113 | 142 | 189 |
SKIBBEREEN | 75 | 44 | 52 |
SLIGO | 397 | 406 | 389 |
STROKESTOWN | 30 | 35 | 25 |
THURLES | 346 | 344 | 351 |
TIPPERARY | 234 | 228 | 241 |
TRALEE | 576 | 647 | 583 |
TRIM | 243 | 299 | 114 |
TUAM | 129 | 161 | 205 |
TUBBERCURRY | 44 | 37 | 37 |
TULLAMORE | 559 | 512 | 503 |
VIRGINIA | 362 | 304 | 274 |
WATERFORD CITY | 1404 | 1371 | 1395 |
WESTPORT | 38 | 31 | 57 |
WEXFORD | 666 | 817 | 689 |
WICKLOW | 215 | 284 | 296 |
YOUGHAL | 114 | 89 | 98 |
Total Applications | 51128 | 53937 | 55617 |
It should noted that both Abbeyfeale and Kinsale closed in 2014 hence there are no certificates issued in 2015 and 2016.
Civil Legal Aid
I am informed by the Legal Aid Board that they do not maintain data in relation to the particular District Court Area (including the Dublin Metropolitan District) or Circuit Court county in which the legal aid is to be provided. This is because such information is not required to be provided to the Board as part of an application for civil legal aid. Indeed it may be the case at the time of making an application for a legal aid certificate that a solicitor acting for an intended plaintiff may have yet to identify the correct court area in which proceedings should be taken. For similar reasons the Board cannot provide information in relation to the costs of providing services in each District Court Area or Circuit Court county.
The following table provides the number of civil legal aid certificates granted to applicants in connection with intended proceedings in (a) the District Court and (b) the Circuit Court, in each of the last three years at each Legal Aid Board law centre. Also attached are the net costs (less contributions and costs recovered) of running each law centre in the years in question.
These numbers do not include a substantial number of certificates issued out of the Board’s specialist service for family law matters at the Dublin District Court. That service issued 1,865 certificates in 2014, 1,795 certificates in 2015, and 1,724 certificates in 2016, all for matters in the District Court. They also do not include a much smaller number of legal aid certificates issued by the Board’s specialist units for medical negligence, personal injuries nor the costs of operating these units. Nor does it include certificates issued pursuant to the Abhaile scheme (in the second half of 2016).
2014 District Court | 2014 Circuit Court | 2015 District Court | 2015 Circuit Court | 2016 District Court | 2016 Circuit Court | 2014 Net Costs €000 | 2015 Net Costs €000 | 2016 Net Costs €000 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Athlone | 153 | 84 | 165 | 60 | 137 | 82 | 570 | 615 | 683 |
Blanchardstown | 12 | 106 | 24 | 126 | 25 | 111 | 767 | 580 | 601 |
Castlebar | 43 | 70 | 79 | 42 | 75 | 64 | 393 | 452 | 462 |
Cavan | 60 | 55 | 75 | 67 | 57 | 44 | 398 | 396 | 460 |
Clondalkin | 18 | 64 | 68 | 67 | 86 | 67 | 592 | 569 | 683 |
Cork Popes Quay | 249 | 106 | 209 | 112 | 257 | 144 | 1,088 | 1,133 | 1,206 |
Cork South Mall | 468 | 91 | 428 | 147 | 426 | 82 | 1,166 | 1,042 | 1,146 |
Dundalk | 125 | 70 | 129 | 67 | 101 | 38 | 404 | 394 | 406 |
Ennis | 174 | 0 | 189 | 76 | 203 | 61 | 496 | 499 | 548 |
Finglas | 9 | 29 | 25 | 97 | 39 | 124 | 777 | 588 | 578 |
Galway Francis Street | 204 | 8 | 231 | 153 | 229 | 146 | 900 | 920 | 851 |
Galway Seville House | 58 | 27 | 80 | 68 | 64 | 50 | 0 | 22 | 588 |
Jervis Street (previously Gardiner Street) | 40 | 103 | 41 | 127 | 66 | 92 | 985 | 1,158 | 1,455 |
Kilkenny | 247 | 113 | 254 | 136 | 246 | 127 | 632 | 663 | 850 |
Letterkenny | 271 | 113 | 268 | 105 | 243 | 84 | 518 | 554 | 611 |
Limerick | 246 | 95 | 286 | 132 | 355 | 110 | 509 | 614 | 648 |
Longford | 105 | 63 | 103 | 45 | 145 | 70 | 471 | 468 | 585 |
Monaghan | 131 | 171 | 120 | 70 | 111 | 88 | 409 | 581 | 529 |
Navan | 309 | 100 | 269 | 84 | 259 | 89 | 485 | 520 | 520 |
Nenagh | 238 | 83 | 276 | 76 | 299 | 44 | 619 | 583 | 582 |
Newbridge | 221 | 159 | 200 | 140 | 153 | 109 | 676 | 699 | 746 |
Portlaoise | 126 | 74 | 162 | 97 | 209 | 86 | 488 | 505 | 602 |
Sligo | 106 | 62 | 108 | 63 | 131 | 58 | 359 | 412 | 484 |
Smithfield | 42 | 90 | 43 | 95 | 46 | 74 | 2,886 | 3,765 | 4,138 |
Tallaght | 15 | 68 | 14 | 97 | 30 | 75 | 601 | 610 | 668 |
Tralee | 180 | 68 | 216 | 102 | 223 | 65 | 643 | 638 | 663 |
Tullamore | 84 | 72 | 72 | 39 | 83 | 60 | 398 | 397 | 411 |
Waterford | 176 | 72 | 187 | 62 | 186 | 71 | 588 | 589 | 635 |
Wexford | 170 | 40 | 170 | 75 | 173 | 57 | 543 | 572 | 1,031 |
Wicklow | 172 | 85 | 194 | 90 | 197 | 87 | 627 | 617 | 629 |
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