Independent TD, Carol Nolan, has established that the State spent €20,718,764 on expenditure for legal aid in international protection cases between 2020 and 2025.
The figures were supplied by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan in response to a parliamentary question from Deputy Nolan.
They reveal that expenditure rose from €1,243,907 in 2020 to €6,590,222 in 2025, representing an increase of just under 430% in five years.
The minister also confirmed to the Offaly TD that the amounts represent only non-pay costs and exclude salaries of Legal Aid Board staff and general operational expenses of the Board’s law centres.
The expenditure covers payments to private solicitors and barristers engaged for international protection cases, as well as expert medical reports, translation services, and interpreters:
“The taxpayer is funding private legal representation, expert medical reports, and professional interpretation and translation services on a scale that has risen dramatically in such a short period of time. The legal appeals industry is booming by the looks of it, and it needs to stop,” said Deputy Nolan.
“Many ordinary Irish citizens who require similar supports, particularly expert medical assessments, face long waiting times and significant personal costs without equivalent state assistance.”
“These figures once again serve to underline the substantial financial commitment involved in the international protection industry, and let no one be under any doubt, it is an industry.”
“Ordinary people are asking me on a weekly basis when this racket will end and when will its own state put them first for once,” concluded Deputy Nolan.