Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 May 2023
268. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if he will provide a breakdown of the amount of criminal legal aid that has been paid out to solicitors in respect of their assignment to a client by the most paid (details supplied); and the amount paid to each of the top ten recipients in fees, by each solicitor and-or company name that received the fees in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [20249/23]
View answerI can inform the Deputy, that Criminal legal services are provided by private solicitors who have notified the relevant Court of their availability to undertake criminal legal aid work. The courts, through the judiciary, are responsible for the granting of legal aid on application by the defence in court. My Department has no role in the granting of legal aid or in the appointment of solicitors to a case. The Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962 gives expression to the Constitutional right that free legal aid must be granted, in certain circumstances, for the defence of persons of insufficient means in criminal proceedings.
As per Regulation 4 of the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Regulations 1965 (S. I. No. 12 of 1965), each County Registrar maintains a list of tax compliant solicitors who are willing to act in that county for those to whom certificates for free legal aid are granted.
My Department is responsible for the payment of fees and expenses to the legal practitioners.
The total amount of fees paid to solicitors for the years requested are laid out in Table 1 and the top 10 recipient firms are listed in Table 2
Table 1: Fees paid to solicitors for criminal legal aid work
|
Amount Paid |
|
|
Year |
€ |
|
2020 |
34,217,662 |
|
2021 |
40,280,587 |
|
2022 |
41,474,735 |
|
2023 (to end of March) |
10,737,053 |
Table 2: Fees paid to Top 10 Solicitors
|
SOLICITOR |
|
|
2020 |
€ |
|
MICHAEL HENNESSY |
638,843.02 |
|
TONY COLLIER |
468,623.60 |
|
JOHN M. QUINN |
460,871.08 |
|
MICHAEL FRENCH |
447,237.37 |
|
JOHN O'DOHERTY |
423,098.16 |
|
AONGHUS MC CARTHY |
414,203.85 |
|
SARAH RYAN |
391,153.51 |
|
YVONNE BAMBURY |
382,238.75 |
|
TRACY HORAN SOLR |
367,922.47 |
|
KENNETH CUNNINGHAM |
359,400.24 |
|
|
|
|
2021 |
€ |
|
JOHN M. QUINN |
746,012.70 |
|
MICHAEL HENNESSY |
683,602.88 |
|
AONGHUS MC CARTHY |
591,304.65 |
|
TRACY HORAN SOLR |
474,700.00 |
|
FRANK A. BUTTIMER |
467,171.73 |
|
KENNETH CUNNINGHAM |
448,687.95 |
|
SANDRA FRAYNE |
445,174.65 |
|
YVONNE BAMBURY. |
430,492.95 |
|
RONALD J. LYNAM |
424,851.30 |
|
JOHN O'DOHERTY |
415,695.38 |
|
|
|
|
2022 |
€ |
|
JOHN M. QUINN |
€664,247.77 |
|
MICHAEL HENNESSY |
€652,736.64 |
|
WAYNE KENNY |
€626,510.56 |
|
AONGHUS MC CARTHY |
€602,162.73 |
|
KENNETH CUNNINGHAM |
€545,556.10 |
|
CAHIR O HIGGINS |
€502,238.54 |
|
YVONNE BAMBURY. |
€502,238.54 |
|
JOHN O'DOHERTY |
€457,775.11 |
|
SARAH RYAN |
€435,603.53 |
|
FRANK A. BUTTIMER |
€435,476.78 |
|
|
|
The breakdown of the top ten earning solicitors is not available for 2023.
