Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
405. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the amount his Department has spent on legal fees for each of the years 2020-2025, in tabular form. [5542/26]
View answerMy Department primarily relies on public service legal resources to manage litigation and obtain legal advice. The Department seeks to minimise legal costs wherever possible and makes full use of the services provided by the Office of the Attorney General, the Chief State Solicitor's Office and the State Claims Agency for legal advice and for representation in court proceedings.
The Department currently has one legal advisor seconded from the Office of the Attorney General. This role provides core legal support to the Department across its functions.
In the normal course of events, instances will arise where specific legal advice must be sought outside of public service legal resources. The table below includes all legal costs, not solely related to litigation but also encompassing any fees that have arisen in relation to specific legal matters on which the Department has sought guidance. In that context, the amount directly spent by my Department on legal fees from 2020 to 2025 is as follows:
|
Year |
Legal fees expenditure |
|
2020 |
€61,617 |
|
2021 |
€525,505 |
|
2022 |
€76,314 |
|
2023 |
€108,446 |
|
2024 |
€167,018 |
|
2025 |
€50,644 |
