Written answers

Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Department of Finance

Departmental Legal Cases

Photo of Grace BolandGrace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

617. To ask the Minister for Finance the amount spent on legal fees associated with litigation, advice and settlements in each of the past three years by his Department and agencies under its aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40879/25]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to advise the Deputy in the years, 2022,2023 2024 and up to 18 July 2025 my Department spent a total of €1,516,422.90 on legal services broken down as per the table below, some of these costs were recoupable.

Year Legal Services Total Inc VAT Recoupable Amount
2022 Advice €197,754.60 €160,468.68
2022 Litigation €63,120.28 €63,120.28
2023 Advice €313,202.27 €148,195.31
2023 Litigation €157,481.60 €157,481.60
2024 Settlements €49,169.88
2024 Advice €101,565.63 €77,577.03
2024 Litigation €409,261.94 €409,261.94
2025 Advice €71,375.81 €68,497.61
2025 Litigation €153,490.28 €153,490.28

The bodies under the aegis of my Department have provided the information below.

Central Bank of Ireland

The below fees were in respect of all external legal advice required by the Central Bank as a whole in the exercise of all areas of its multifaceted mandate, including its regulatory and enforcement responsibilities and its central banking and Eurosystem role. The fees include external legal fees in relation to all litigation initiated by or taken against the Bank (including litigation required in the exercise of the Bank’s supervisory and enforcement functions), legal support to Administrative Sanctions Inquiries, legal support in relation to significant operational projects and property matters. The Bank has put in place a number of framework agreements with individual legal services providers which were awarded on foot of a public procurement procedure; these have provided for agreed discounted rate and volume discounts.

The Bank annually discloses, within Note 8 of the Financial Statements in its Annual Report, amounts expensed on Legal fees relating to Legal Advice, Legal Proceedings & Settlements. The 2022 – 2024 figures are as published in the Annual Reports. It should be noted that the 2025 figures are to be considered draft and may be subject to change until the 2025 Financial Statements are audited. Due to the timeframe for provision of the requested information, the Bank’s 2025 analysis has not undergone its standard audit/verification process, which will be completed as part of the year end audit.

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €2,168,000
2023 €2,662,000
2024 €3,336,000
2025 € 1,110,403

Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €31,610
2023 €58,979
2024 €44,093
2025 to date €4,154

Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal

It should be noted that the DDMBA is funded from my Department’s Vote (Vote 7) and the legal fees for 2024 below are also included in my Department’s expenditure on legal services as set out above.

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 Nil
2023 Nil
2024 €49,170
2025 to date Nil

Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO)

The FSPO’s external legal expenditure for 2022 and 2023 is published in its Annual Financial Statements for those years under the headings Legal Fees and External Drafters.

In addition to the spend with legal service providers during the year, the published figure for legal fees includes movements in the provision for legal costs. Excluding movements in the legal provision, the figures for 2022, 2023 and 2024 are set out below. It should be noted that the figures for Legal Services for 2024 will remain draft until the finalisation of the 2024 Annual Financial Statements and the figure for 2024 could be impacted prior to finalisation due to, for example, legal cost settlements for proceedings concluded that year.

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €2,817,643
2023 €2,223,906
2024 €2,996,007
2025 to date €1,775,320

Irish Bank Resolution Corporation

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €6.3m
2023 €7.4m
2024 €5.1m
2025 to date €3.9m

Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI)

Corporate legal advice relates to general legal advice provided by HBFI’s corporate legal advisors. It should be noted that there were no fees associated with litigation or settlements.

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €25,092
2023 €85,432
2024 €56,854
2025 to date €22,998

Investor Compensation Company DAC

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €1,161,866
2023 €973,326
2024 €163,376
2025 to date €123,440

Irish Financial Services Appeals Tribunal

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €72,912
2023 €64,934
2024 €18,912
2025 to date €5,689

National Asset Management Agency

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €1.779m
2023 €0.683m
2024 €0.75m
2025 to date €0.8m

National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA)

The below table shows amounts for total legal fees paid in the years in question for the NTMA, Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), Future Ireland Fund (FIF) and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund (ICNF). These amounts vary from the legal fees disclosed in the relevant annual financial statements of the NTMA Administration Account and ISIF for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, on the basis that the NTMA uses the accrual basis of accounting in its annual financial statements.

Legal fees incurred by the NTMA (when acting as the State Claims Agency) in the performance of its statutory mandate in relation to claims management (such as medical and non-medical expert witness services and Barrister services) are not included in this response as the State Claims Agency recovers the amounts of any awards, claim settlements and associated costs from State Authorities who are liable in respect of claims managed.   

Legal fees incurred by the NTMA (when acting as the National Development Finance Agency) in the performance of its statutory mandate to procure, deliver and provide advice on public infrastructure projects on behalf of State Authorities are not included in this response as such fees are reimbursed by the State Authority to which the projects relate.

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €2.819m
2023 €3.535m
2024 €4.655m
2025 to date €1.359m

Office of the Revenue Commissioners

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €8,056,639
2023 €8,835,121
2024 €11,112,590
2025 to date €4,865,128

Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €445,000
2023 €598,000
2024 €754,000
2025 to date €93,000

Tax Appeals Commission

Year Total (inc VAT) associated with litigation, advice, and settlements.
2022 €85,812
2023 €54,010
2024 €89,258
2025 to date €20,184

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.