Written answers
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
Departmental Legal Services
Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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162. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government 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. [40854/25]
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The total spend by my Department on external legal services in each of the past three years and the main areas of legal activity for which external advice was sought are detailed in the following tables.
| Company/Organisation Name | Description | Total € |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Legal Advice - Emergency Generation Advices | 93,157 |
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Legal Advice - relating to the security of Energy Supply | 40,993 |
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Legal advisory services to Offshore Renewable Energy policy | 33,692 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Screening Assessments 2022 | 423 |
| Chief State Solicitor's Office | Legal advisory services to support Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme | 200,061 |
| Chief State Solicitor's Office | Legal services and advices | 60,027 |
| Ciarán Doherty Barrister-at-Law | Review of legislation around Climate Action Fund | 969 |
| Matheson | * RESS Lot 2 - Planning & Delivery | 33,409 |
| Matheson | * RESS Lot 3 - Communities & State Aid advice | 11,539 |
| Matheson | Kinsale and Seven Heads - Decommissioning Advice | 87,781 |
| Matheson | Legal advice - design of the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS) | 248,086 |
| Matheson | RESS Offshore advice RFT 181809 | 22,446 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Advice & Research in relation to the establishment of the Deposit Return Scheme | 51,210 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Legal advices and services | 87,798 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | NDP advices | 423,735 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2022 | 25,138 |
| Mr Ciarán Doherty, Barrister-at-Law | Legal services and advices | 14,852 |
| National Treasury Management/State Claims Agency | Foreshore - Marine Planning advices | 626,250 |
| Ruth A Fitzgerald SC | Drafting Regulations to give effect to the Single Use Plastics Directive | 12,515 |
| Thomas John (Jack) Hazlett | Advice on drafting of legislation | 6,500 |
| Thomas John (Jack) Hazlett | Legal services and advices | 4,200 |
| Thompson Solicitors | Legal advices and services | 923 |
| Total - 2022 | €2,085,705 |
| Company/Organisation Name | Description | Total € |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Legal Advice - Emergency Generation Advices | 3,534 |
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Legal Advice - Planning and Environmental Regulatory Regime Advices | 221,605 |
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Legal advisory services to support DCEE in the development of Offshore Renewable Energy policy | 32,621 |
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Legal services on Maritime Area Consent rand Foreshore Licensing regimes. | 46,501 |
| Beauchamps LLP | Legal advices and services | 61,688 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Legal advice and services | 2,605 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2023 | 673 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Protected Disclosures Review | 732 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Screening Assessments 2022 | 3,522 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Screening Assessments 2023 | 1,639 |
| Chief State Solicitor's Office | Legal advisory services to support Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme | 108,524 |
| Chief State Solicitor's Office | Legal services and advices | 111,177 |
| Gwen Malone Stenography Services Ltd | Stenography Fees | 3,063 |
| Matheson | * RESS Lot 2 - Planning & Delivery | 3,365 |
| Matheson | Kinsale and Seven Heads - Decommissioning Advice | 16,784 |
| Matheson | Legal advice - design of the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS) | 16,847 |
| Matheson | Legal advisory services to support DCEE with the design and implementation of the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support | 126,108 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | * RESS Lot 1- Planning & Delivery | 20,049 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | * RESS Lot 2 - Planning & Delivery | 24,925 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Advice & Research in relation to the establishment of the Deposit Return Scheme | 14,022 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Drafting of Protected Disclosures Policy 2023 | 7,049 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | NDP advices | 33,867 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2022 | 26,100 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2023 | 29,645 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Specialist legal advice on Funding Agreement between DCEE and the European Investment Fund | 70,984 |
| MKO | Legal advice in relation to the Celtic Interconnector | 23,985 |
| MKO | Planning Consultancy Services for Electricity Security of Supply Programme | 109,438 |
| Mr Ciarán Doherty, Barrister-at-Law | Legal services and advices | 7,890 |
| National Treasury Management/State Claims Agency | Foreshore - Marine Planning advices | 287,500 |
| RSM Ireland | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2022 | 1,033 |
| RSM Ireland | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2023 | 689 |
| State Claims Agency | Legal services and advices | 495,000 |
| Thomas John (Jack) Hazlett | Air Quality - legal drafting | 3,500 |
| Total - 2023 | €1,916,664 |
| Company/Organisation Name | Description | Total € |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Examination of options on Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest (IROPI) process | 28,844 |
| Arthur Cox Solicitor | Legal advice to support DCEE in ensuring security of energy supply. | 73,800 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Legal advice and services | 907 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Review of Protected Disclosures Policy 2023 | 6,909 |
| Byrne Wallace Shields | Screening Assessments 2023 | 410 |
| Chief State Solicitor's Office | Legal services and advices | 118,484 |
| Chief State Solicitor's Office | Stenography Fees | 2,121 |
| Gwen Malone Stenography Services Ltd | Stenography Fees | 3,429 |
| Matheson | Kinsale and Seven Heads - Decommissioning Advice | 57,272 |
| Matheson | Legal advisory services to support DCEE with the design and implementation of the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support | 180,211 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | * RESS Lot 1- Planning & Delivery | 120,737 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | * RESS Lot 2 - Planning & Delivery | 32,027 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | NDP advices | 22,703 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2023 | 16,525 |
| McCann Fitzgerald LLP | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2024 | 1,087 |
| Mr Ciarán Doherty, Barrister-at-Law | Legal services and advices | 4,773 |
| National Treasury Management/State Claims Agency | Foreshore - Marine Planning advices | 96,863 |
| Office of the Revenue Commissioners | Legal advice | 104,548 |
| Orpen Franks Solicitors LLP | Legal fees arising from state engagement with Avoca Mines | 7,703 |
| Philip Lee | External Legal Advisory services to support DCEE with the Small Scale Renewable Electricty Scheme | 118,339 |
| Philip Lee | Legal advisory services to support establishment of subsequent future ORE DMAPs | 389,632 |
| RSM Ireland | Protected Disclosures Investigations 2023 | 21,453 |
| Thomas John (Jack) Hazlett | Air Quality - legal drafting | 4,400 |
| Total – 2024 | €1,413,177 |
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