Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1464. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government 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. [41507/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1465. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government 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. [41525/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1466. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government 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. [41543/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1467. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government 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. [41561/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1468. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government 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. [41579/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1469. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government 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. [41597/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1464 to 1469, inclusive, together.

My Department seeks to minimise legal costs in relation to all matters and, where appropriate, avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's Office (CSSO), the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency in relation the provision of legal advice to and representation of my Department. Costs of external legal advisers and legal representatives in relation to such advice and in relation to litigation, including the payment of external Counsel, are discharged and managed by the CSSO or State Claims Agency, as appropriate.In accordance with S.I. No. 284 of 2016 European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations, procurement regulations do not apply to public service contracts for specified legal services.

My Department maintains an environment of good corporate governance, ensuring an effective system of internal financial control as set out in its Corporate Governance Framework which can be found at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/organisation-information/corporate-governance-framework/. Financial responsibilities are managed through a system of delegation and accountability. Reporting arrangements have been established at all levels where responsibility for financial management has been assigned.

Where a unit of my Department does engage external legal services, contract management, including payment of invoices, is the responsibility of the budget holder, who is usually the head of that business unit.

My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the State bodies under its aegis. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. These bodies may be contacted directly by e-mail by members of the Oireachtas, as set out in the following table.