Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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530. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average waiting time for applicants for civil legal aid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29628/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Legal Aid Board is the statutory body responsible for the provision of civil legal aid and advice to persons of modest means in accordance with the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 and associated Regulations. The 1995 Act was amended by Section 54 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011, which gave the Board the additional responsibility of providing a family mediation service.

Section 3(3) of the Act provides that the Board shall, subject to the provisions of the Act, be independent in the exercise of its functions. However, to be of assistance to the Deputy I have had enquiries made with the Legal Aid Board on foot of which the following information is provided.

Civil legal aid and advice is provided primarily through a network of law centres by solicitors employed by the Legal Aid Board. There are 34 full-time law centres and dedicated units, together with 2 part-time law centres. Specific law centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway include an international protection speciality and there are also dedicated units in Dublin dealing with personal injury and/or medical negligence cases and cases involving children at risk. Family mediation services are provided through 10 full-time offices and 10 part-time offices.

The Board also engages private solicitors to supplement the services provided by Board solicitors in certain areas of law on a case-by-case basis. Those areas of law are as follows: District Court family law matters, Circuit Court judicial separation and divorce cases, international protection cases, and cases on foot of the Abhaile scheme.

A priority service is provided in certain cases including cases involving domestic violence, child abduction, applications by the State to take children into care or under supervision, and cases that have statutory time limits close to expiry

The waiting times and numbers for first consultation appointments are published on a regular basis on the website of the Legal Aid Board (www.legalaidboard.ie).

In 2023, the overall average waiting time for a consultation with a solicitor of the 30 law centres that operate a waiting list was 15 weeks, compared with 15 weeks in 2022 and 20 weeks in each of the years 2021, 2020 and 2019. As at 30 June 2024, the average waiting time is 15 weeks.

The maximum waiting time in weeks, for non-prioritised matters, as at 30 June 2024 is set out for the various law centres in Table A below. It must be emphasised that this table gives a snapshot of waiting times at a particular point in time. Waiting times fluctuate depending on demand and on the capacity of each law centre to offer appointments to new clients.

A number of law centres that currently have long waiting lists are being affected by the unavailability of private practitioners, solicitor turnover and other staff movements or absences which the Board is seeking to address. Where capacity permits, applications are transferred between law centres to allow earlier first consultation appointments for applicants. The distribution of resources is similarly kept under constant review by the Board.

I am assured that speedy access to the Board’s services, and to the justice system generally, has always been a priority for the Board.

Table A: Waiting times – 30 June 2024

* Co-located law centre and mediation offices