Ireland’s system of civil legal aid is under “significant strain” with some people waiting more than a year for a first appointment with the Legal Aid Board, a coalition of groups working in the sector has said.
Outside the Four Courts on Friday, representatives of the Children’s Rights Alliance, Free Legal Advice Centres, Bar of Ireland, Law Society of Ireland and Women’s Aid called for urgent reform.
The Government, they said, should make “meaningful investment” in civil legal aid a priority in next month’s budget to allow for “comprehensive” reform of the system.
Their call comes a year after the publication of an Independent Review Group report on civil legal aid, the first such review, which set out detailed recommendations for reform.
Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said: “Every child should have access to, and support through, legal aid, when and where they need it.”
“We are particularly concerned about the significant barriers to accessing justice that are all too common for vulnerable children and families in childcare proceedings, family law cases and children in families affected by domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.”
Women’s Aid chief executive officer Sarah Benson said there was a need for “practical action by Government urgently, not further reports, to alleviate an overburdened system and improve access to justice for those most at risk, as is their right.”
Law Society president Rosemarie Loftus said an income eligibility threshold of €18,000 for civil legal aid, unchanged since 2006, “is locking people out of justice”.
“It must rise, and it must be matched by real investment in the Legal Aid Board to expand access and reduce waiting times.”
In a statement, the organisations said that, without adequate funding, “high levels of legal need among disadvantaged groups will continue to go unmet, delays will continue to increase, pressures on the courts will grow and those who depend on civil legal aid will bear the consequences.”
Financial eligibility thresholds have failed to keep pace with rising living costs, leaving many people unable to qualify for legal aid despite being unable to afford private legal representation, it said.
Difficulties recruiting and retaining experienced lawyers and a “significant decline” in the number of private solicitors willing to undertake legal aid work continue to place, increasing pressure on the delivery of services and access to representation, it added.
The Legal Aid Board cannot provide legal representation in key areas for disadvantaged groups, it explained, such as housing, social welfare and discrimination and there are delays of over a year for a first appointment with a Legal Aid Board solicitor.
Removing financial barriers to accessing the civil legal aid scheme and ensuring it is sufficiently resourced to respond in a timely manner “are two key areas within the Government’s power to deliver in Budget 2027”.