Total spend on the provision of legal aid and advice in the area of international protection was €6.5 Million in 2025, and the total amount collected in contributions from asylum applicants in that regard in the same year was €20,240, or 0.3% of the total cost, an Offaly TD has discovered.
The data also showed that the €10 application contribution sought from asylum seekers seeking free legal aid from the state is waived in most cases. The total spend on legal aid to asylum seekers over the 6 year period under examination was €20,718,764.
A reply from the Minister for Justice to a series of parliamentary questions from Independent TD, Carol Nolan, showed that 38,643 applications for free legal aid for international protection claims were made from 2021 to 2025 which were provided by a network of law centres by solicitors employed by the Legal Aid Board.
In 2025, the €10 application fee expected to be paid per asylum claimant was waived for 7,382 applicants in 2025, the Legal Aid Board told the Minister in response to Deputy Nolan’s questions, adding that 2,024 applicants for services related to their application for international protection paid the €10 contribution in 2025 with a total of €20,240 or 0.3% of the total cost paid out that year covered by the application fee.
Carol Nolan said that the Legal Aid Board was being transformed into a “legal wing of the asylum NGOs” – and said she would be seeking further clarity on the audits undertaken of services and costs.
“I am absolutely convinced that the Legal Aid Board could almost be renamed the International Protection Free Legal Aid Board and that it has been radically diverted from its original purpose of assisting Irish people with modest means to access the justice system. Tens of thousands of asylum applicants receiving extensive and expensive legal services cannot but impact on the ability of the Board to deliver for every other category of applicant,” Deputy Nolan said.
“This is institutional capture and it has effectively transformed the Board into the legal wing of the asylum NGOs. I will demanding additional clarity on these so-called ‘audits’ and indeed I challenge the Board to make them fully public and accessible to the very taxpayers who are funding them. What have they got to hide?” she added.
NETWORK OF LAW CENTRES
The Legal Aid Board is the statutory body responsible for the provision of civil legal aid and advice to persons of modest means in the State, the Minister said.
Civil legal aid and advice is provided primarily through a network of law centres by solicitors employed by the Legal Aid Board. The Legal Aid Board also engages private solicitors and barristers to provide services in international protection cases.
There are 34 full time and 3 part-time law centres and specialised units. Specific law centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway currently include an international protection speciality.
The table below shows the total expenditure related to the provision of legal aid and advice in the area of international protection, excluding pay and operational costs. The expenditure shown covers costs associated with private solicitors contracted through the Legal Aid Board’s Solicitors Panel for International Protection Matters, as well as barristers retained from the International Protection Barristers Sub-Panel. It also includes other service-related costs, such as expert medical reports, translation services, and interpreters.
|
Year
|
Non-Pay Expenditure
|
|
2020
|
€1,243,907
|
|
2021
|
€988,873
|
|
2022
|
€2,067,130
|
|
2023
|
€4,130,236
|
|
2024
|
€5,698,396
|
|
2025
|
€6,590,222
|
The total non-pay expenditure for free legal aid for asylum seekers in the period was €20,178,764 according to the data released by the Minister.
An additional table (below) shows the total number of applications for legal services related to international protection from 2021 to 2025. The Legal Aid Board has noted that they generally do not provide legal aid services for judicial review proceedings.
|
Year
|
Applications for legal services for international protection
|
|
2021
|
1,464
|
|
2022
|
6,858
|
|
2023
|
9,918
|
|
2024
|
11,689
|
|
2025
|
8,534
|
SERVICES PROVIDED WITHOUT CHARGE FOR APPLICATION AND APPEAL
The Minister said that international protection applicants who meet the financial eligibility criteria can avail of the services of the Legal Aid Board, which:
– Provides legal assistance and advice in respect of their application.
– Advises applicants in relation to the completion of their International Protection Questionnaire (if not already completed) including any grounds that the applicant may wish to set out for the – purpose of requesting that the Minister should give them permission to remain in the State.
– Assists the applicant in the preparation for the international protection interview and in preparing any written representations to the Minister.
– In the case of a negative recommendation on their application, provides representation for the applicant in any appeal they may take to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT).
He added that detailed information on civil legal aid services and advice provided to international protection applicants can be found on the Legal Aid Board website at: https://www.legalaidboard.ie/our-legal-aid-service/how-we-can-help-you/international-protection/
AUDITS
Deputy Nolan also asked the Minister for Justice to request the Legal Aid Board to provide the number of internal audits conducted since 2020 with respect to its centres and if in the interest of transparency the Legal Aid Board will publish these audits.
She also asked the Minister for Justice to confirm that there is no specific reference to international protection or prevention of abuse of the system of any part of the legal aid provision in either the Performance Delivery Agreement 2025 or the Oversight Agreement 2023-2025.
In response the Minister said there are several oversight measures in place to ensure the appropriate operation of the system and that the Annual Performance Delivery Agreement between the Legal Aid Board and his Department sets out the specific objectives, outputs, priorities, and performance indicators to be delivered by the Legal Aid Board in a given year, within its approved funding.
“I am informed that the Legal Aid Board operates a comprehensive and risk-based internal audit programme, approved by its Audit and Risk Committee, which provides independent assurance across all aspects of service delivery and corporate support functions, including financial management, governance, controls, compliance, and value for money,” he added.
“Findings and recommendations arising from internal audit are systematically tracked, reported to senior management and the Board, and are subject to formal follow-up to ensure timely implementation,” he said. “In addition to its internal assurance framework, the Legal Aid Board is subject to regular and robust external scrutiny. Its annual financial statements are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, with the results reported to the Oireachtas, and the Board engages fully with the Public Accounts Committee as required. The Board is also subject to regular external audits by my Department.”