Departmental Legal Cases

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Ceisteanna (141)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

141. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of legal cases taken against his Department in each of the past ten years and to date in 2024; the costs incurred by his Department in relation to such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41719/24]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51.

My Department has a broad remit covering a range of responsibilities including Housing, Water, Planning, Heritage and Local Government in addition to the functions provided by Met Éireann. From the records available to me, a summary by year of the cases brought against my Department since January 2014, including costs, is provided in the table below. My Department seeks, where possible, to minimise legal costs and avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's Office, the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency in terms of the provision of legal advice and representation of the Department. Costs have been provided where available from those bodies.

These cases/files cover a range of litigation matters, including judicial review proceedings, personal injury claims, employment law matters and constitutional challenges. The figures reflect cases where my Department is a named party. The number of cases may differ slightly from previous reports due to reclassification in the intervening period or notification delays.

Year	Number of cases	Cost €
2014	20	519,556
2015	22	71,070
2016	13	181,651
2017	19	163,111
2018	221	204,044
2019	16	383,675
2020	47	199,047
2021	27	142,448
2022	33	736,823
2023	42	1,461,175
2024 (to date)	20	109,165