Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 May 2026
288. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of cases that proceeded before the District Court and which involved an accused that had the benefit of criminal legal aid; the total value of criminal legal aid provided in those cases, in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38501/26]
View answerUnder the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962, it is the Courts, through the judiciary, that are responsible for the granting of legal aid. The Criminal Legal Aid Scheme is demand-led. Increases in the number of legal aid certificates granted have had a significant impact on criminal legal aid expenditure over recent years.
As outlined in the Programme for Government 2025, the Government has committed to reforming the operation of Criminal Legal Aid. The general scheme of the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Bill 2023 was published in July 2023. This Bill will modernise the operation of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and is intended to:
• Update the law relating to Criminal Legal Aid;
• Transfer administrative responsibility of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme from the Department of Justice to the Legal Aid Board, and
• Strengthen oversight and governance structures for the Scheme.
I can inform the Deputy, that the table below sets out the number and cost of criminal legal aid certificates granted in the District Court from 2015 to 2025. However, it should be noted that the expenditure in a given year does not necessarily correlate to the Legal Aid Certificates issued that year, as expenditure may relate to Legal Aid Certificates issued in previous years, for which claims for payment were made in subsequent years.
|
Year |
Number of CLA Certificates issued in the District Court |
Total Cost |
|
2015 |
53,937 |
€19,275,214 |
|
2016 |
55,617 |
€20,191,375 |
|
2017 |
64,181 |
€22,608,214 |
|
2018 |
72,674 |
€25,043,379 |
|
2019 |
79,346 |
€26,860,269 |
|
2020 |
73,611 |
€24,475,827 |
|
2021 |
80,831 |
€29,289,855 |
|
2022 |
81,025 |
€28,364,837 |
|
2023 |
87,668 |
€30,837,699 |
|
2024 |
98,230 |
€37,786,861 |
|
2025 |
98,617 |
€40,705,809 |
