Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2171. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 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. [41496/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2172. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 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. [41514/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2173. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 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. [41532/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2174. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 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. [41550/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2175. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 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. [41568/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2171, 2172, 2173, 2174 and 2175 together.

Litigation is dealt with on behalf of the Department by the Attorney General’s Office, the Chief State Solicitor’s Office or the State Claims Agency who engage lawyers to act for my Department where necessary. The costs of any external solicitors or counsel in such litigation are not managed by my Department.

The information requested from the State Bodies under the aegis of my department, is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2176. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 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. [41586/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Litigation is dealt with on behalf of my Department by the Office of the Attorney General, the Chief State Solicitor’s Office and the State Claims Agency, who engage lawyers to act for the Department where necessary. The costs of any external solicitors or counsel in such litigation are not managed by my Department.