THE CHAIRWOMAN of the Legal Aid Board says she is seriously concerned at delays faced by applicants for free legal aid caused by a surge in applications and a depletion of the board’s resources.
In the forward to the board’s annual report for 2009, published yesterday, Anne Colley said the public service moratorium on staff recruitment had depleted resources.
Some applicants faced waits of up to nine months to get an appointment with a legal aid solicitor in 2009.
The Legal Aid Board provides civil legal aid and advice to people on lower incomes through a network of law centres. It also provides legal services for those seeking asylum through the Refugee Legal Service.
At the end of 2009, more than 2,200 people were waiting for an appointment with a legal aid solicitor, up from just over 1,600 in 2008.
Applicants living in Wexford waited the longest: nine months on average. The wait in Wicklow was eight months; seven months in Tipperary; and six months in Clondalkin and Gardiner Street, Dublin and Newbridge, Co Kildare. Applications to the 30 law centres increased by 18 per cent in 2009 to more than 14,000. Cases involving debt rose by over 180 per cent.
The increases were attributed to a greater need for legal services during times of economic distress and a greater number of people satisfying the means test.
Ms Colley said the board faced a noticeable challenge to deliver services, given the surge in applications and the depletion in resources.
“The board and I are seriously concerned at the impact the delay in providing essential legal services is having on the individuals concerned as well as others associated with them and even, on the wider community,” Ms Colley said.
She said the board had put in place initiatives designed to address the situation, including using private practice solicitors and sourcing solicitors under the Fás Work Placement Programme or through volunteering.
“All of these initiatives have paid dividends, but the organisation remains under a great deal of pressure in attempting satisfactorily to meet the demand for services,” she said.
