Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 July 2026
319. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide a list of the names of solicitors that are included on the Criminal Legal Aid panel as of 10 July 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54190/26]
View answer320. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for a list of the names of all solicitors that are included on the Criminal Legal Aid panel as of 10 July 2026, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54191/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 319 and 320 together.
Solicitors may apply to be placed on the Criminal Legal Aid panel for any county using a single application form, which is processed by a centralised courts office in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. This system, introduced in 2021, replaced the previous requirement to apply separately to individual local court offices.
My Department significantly simplified the procedures for Criminal Legal Aid panel membership both for solicitors and counsel last year by waiving the requirement to apply yearly to be retained on panels, with the commencement on 26 November 2025 of S.I. 539 of 2025.
It is common practice for solicitors to apply to be included on more than one county panel, and some solicitors apply to be included on all panels. As a result, a solicitor may appear on multiple county panels. I am advised that the Courts Service cannot currently generate a single consolidated report from its tracking systems showing the names of all solicitors on the Criminal Legal Aid panels on a specific date. The Courts Service is examining how this information can be generated in that format in future.
I can inform the Deputy that the total number of solicitors on the Criminal Legal Aid panel as of close of business on 9 July 2026 was 776, that the total number of resignations received by close of business on 9 July 2026 was 76, and that the number of new applications received to be added to the panel by close of business on 9 July was 4.
