Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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179. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will restore fees paid to criminal barristers, to ensure effective administration of criminal justice. [29475/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that I fully recognise the important role played by barristers and solicitors in the administration of criminal justice, both in the context of working to defend those accused and working with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in respect of prosecutions.

Having undertaken to make progress on criminal legal aid in Budget 2024, I secured €9 million to provide for a 10% increase in criminal legal aid fees, with effect from 1 January 2024.

This year I will again seek to make progress in relation to restoration of criminal legal aid fees.

However, as the Deputy will be aware there is a budgetary process which must be followed.

While I cannot pre-empt a budgetary decision, I hope that the progress we achieved last year is a sign of good faith on my part and the part of the Government that more can be achieved this year. In this context I believe that the action this week by criminal law barristers is very regrettable - it has real impacts on accused persons and the victims and witnesses involved.

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has commenced a review of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and is engaging with all relevant stakeholders including the legal professions, on the modernisation and funding structure of the legal aid system. This team are currently laying the foundations for an improved, more efficient system of administering Criminal Legal Aid and has discussed this in two recent meetings with the Bar Council and Law Society.

In addition, I published the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Bill 2023 to modernise the Criminal Legal Aid system. The key purpose of the Bill is to transfer the administration of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme to the Legal Aid Board and to otherwise update the administration of criminal legal aid. The Bill will also introduce strengthened oversight and governance structures.

It is my intention that significant progress will be made on these reforms as Department officials continue to engage with the legal professions.