Legal aid fees dispute causing 'chaos in the courts' - SF

The Dáil has once again heard of "chaos in the courts" amid the ongoing dispute over a new fee structure for solicitors.

Last week, a new system whereby criminal legal aid solicitors are paid a flat fee of €520 under a 'one accused, one fee' model came into effect.

Under the old system, a solicitor was paid for each court appearance by a single person, starting at €239.38 for the first appearance, and then €59.86 for each subsequent hearing.

Sinn Féin's Justice Spokesperson Matt Carthy told the Dáil how "solicitors were resigning from the criminal legal aid panel....others with no legal expertise are representing themselves".

He called on the Government to intervene and suspend the changes made by the Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan.

The Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke stood over the changes, saying every Government has a need to reform.

He said there had been a 115% increase in fees prior to the new regime, even though the number of cases involved had fallen.