Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1321. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the total spend by his Department on external legal services in each of the past three years; the main areas of legal activity for which external advice was sought; if he will provide a breakdown by case or category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40855/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1322. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment 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. [40875/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1332. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; how fees are monitored for compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41499/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1333. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41517/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1334. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41535/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1335. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41553/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1336. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41571/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1337. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41589/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1338. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and total overrun; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41607/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1321, 1322, 1332, 1333, 1334, 1335, 1336, 1337 and 1338 together.

My Department has an Internal Legal Advisor seconded from the Office of the Attorney General with additional support from that office as required.

Details of any Compensation and legal costs are published in the Annual appropriation account for the Department which is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General and published on their website here: www.audit.gov.ie/en/publications/appropriation%20accounts/

From time to time it may be necessary to engage external legal support and this is done subject to Public Procurement Procedures as set out by the Minister for Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. These are available on the Office of Government Procurement’s website.

It should be noted that my Department was re-configured as the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport at the beginning of June 2025. The previous configuration of my Department, as the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, was established in September 2020. The details sought by the Deputy in relation to the functions under my Department as it is currently configured, are set out below.