Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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268. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide a breakdown of the amount of criminal legal aid that has been paid out to solicitors in respect of their assignment to a client by the most paid (details supplied); and the amount paid to each of the top ten recipients in fees, by each solicitor and-or company name that received the fees in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [20249/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy, that Criminal legal services are provided by private solicitors who have notified the relevant Court of their availability to undertake criminal legal aid work.  The courts, through the judiciary, are responsible for the granting of legal aid on application by the defence in court. My Department has no role in the granting of legal aid or in the appointment of solicitors to a case. The Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962 gives expression to the Constitutional right that free legal aid must be granted, in certain circumstances, for the defence of persons of insufficient means in criminal proceedings.

As per Regulation 4 of the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Regulations 1965 (S. I. No. 12 of 1965), each County Registrar maintains a list of tax compliant solicitors who are willing to act in that county for those to whom certificates for free legal aid are granted.

My Department is responsible for the payment of fees and expenses to the legal practitioners.

The total amount of fees paid to solicitors for the years requested are laid out in Table 1 and the top 10 recipient firms are listed in Table 2

Table 1: Fees paid to solicitors for criminal legal aid work

Table 2: Fees paid to Top 10 Solicitors

The breakdown of the top ten earning solicitors is not available for 2023.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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269. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide a breakdown of the amounts paid to private practitioners by year in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form, indicating the amount paid to each of the top ten recipients of fees, by the practitioner name and fees in those years (details supplied). [20250/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Legal Aid Board (the Board) provides legal advice and aid under the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 and the Civil Legal Aid Regulations 1996-2021. The Board, which is statutorily independent, delivers these services through directly employed solicitors in its network of law centres around the country and private solicitors from its private practitioner panels.

The Board has established a number of solicitor panels for different case types. Solicitors in private practice agree to be members of those panels and are paid fees per case depending on the terms and conditions of each panel.

Schedules A-Eset out in tabular format the ten firms of solicitors who have, in total over the period 1^stJanuary 2021 to 25^thApril 2023, been paid the highest total amount of fees in respect of each panel, and with a breakdown of that amount into fees paid during 2021, 2022, and from 1^stJanuary to 25^thApril 2023.  Please note that the Assisted Decision Making Panel was established on 26^thApril 2023 and therefore no payments were made in respect of this Panel during the period concerned.

Schedule A – Ten highest earning payees under the District Court Family Law Solicitors Panel

Schedule B – Ten highest earning payees under the Abhaile Solicitors Panel

Schedule C – Ten highest earning payees under the International Protection Solicitors Panel

Schedule D – Ten highest earning payees under the Circuit Court Judicial Separation and Divorce Solicitors Panel

Schedule E– Ten highest earning payees under the Child Care Pilot Panel & Public Law Child Care Solicitors Panel (combined), 1^stJanuary 2021 – 25^thApril 2023