Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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545. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she has recently reviewed the resources available to provide legal aid in each of the law centres here; if her attention has been drawn to staff shortages which have resulted in delayed legal proceedings; the action she proposes to take to ensure that sufficient solicitors are available in each law centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5838/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Legal Aid Board is the statutory, independent body responsible for the provision of civil legal aid and advice to persons of modest means, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 (the “Act”) and the Civil Legal Aid Regulations 1996 to 2021. Section 3(3) of the Act states that the Board shall, subject to the provisions of the Act, be independent in the exercise of its functions.

Funding of €47.917 million has been allocated to the Legal Aid Board for 2022, an increase of 7.5% on the 2021 allocation of €44.575 million. The matter of staffing and resource allocation is, however, an operational matter for the Board, in accordance with the provisions of the 1995 Act. As part of ongoing governance arrangements, officials in my Department continue to engage and work with the Board on addressing such matters.