Nearly a year-long wait for legal aid

PEOPLE on low incomes who apply for free legal aid on
the Southside face a wait of almost a year for advice and representation,
according to new figures released by the Department of Justice.

The Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, revealed in a
response to a parliamentary question recently that people in the Clondalkin
area who apply to the Legal Aid Board can endure a wait of up to 11 months.

Applicants there face the longest waiting times in the
country, while those in the Tallaght area who apply for the State provided
service also have to wait up to eight months, according to the figures.

At the moment the Legal Aid Board only deals with
applications from those who need advice and representation on civil cases.
About 90 per cent of the workload it processes involve family law cases. Also,
only those earning less than e18,000 per annum qualify for free legal aid.

A separate body, the Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC) –
an independent human rights organisation that offers free legal advice – noted
that the waiting lists have been growing rapidly because of the increase in
unemployment since 2008.

Separate figures compiled by FLAC show that waiting
times for the Legal Aid Board in Clondalkin increased from six months in
January of last year to 10 months by the end of December.

The communications officer at FLAC, Yvonne Woods, said
the increase in waiting lists could often have a detrimental effect for both
parties in civil cases.

She said a common example included parents whose
children had been abducted by their partners and taken to another country.

“In a case where a child has been taken away by one
parent to another country, the other parent remaining in Ireland who cannot
afford a lawyer has to rely on the civil legal aid system,

? she explained.

“However, the waiting lists are so long that he or she
will find it very difficult to deal with the situation.

?

Citing another common example, she said individuals in

“oppressive

? relationships, who have applied for a separation, can be forced to
live with their spouse for extended periods of time as a result of the unduly
long waiting lists for legal aid.

“This has led to a further breakdown of the
relationship with emotional and psychological effects on the individuals in
question,

? she added.

The details of the waiting times at centres across the
country were contained in response to a recent parliamentary question.

Minister Shatter said the Legal Aid Board was working
with individual law centres with a view to delivering greater efficiencies in a
number of its centres.

“The board will be piloting a

‘triage’ service to
commence very shortly,

? the minister stated in his parliamentary response.

“The
objective of the pilot will be to ensure that every applicant gets to see a
solicitor within a period of one month. It is expected that those seeking
further services will experience a wait.

?