ouncil of The Bar of Ireland welcomes the decision of the Legal Aid Board this afternoon to defer the planned restrictions to the Family Law Private Practitioners Scheme in the District Court on foot of representations made by The Bar of Ireland and others.
“We are very pleased that the Legal Aid Board has heeded our warnings that the planned changes to the family law services would have severely impacted the most vulnerable members of our society” said Paul McGarry SC, Chairman, Council of The Bar of Ireland, “People eligible for legal aid dealing the most sensitive of family law matters, including access, custody, guardianship and maintenance orders, cannot be expected to join waiting lists rather than access the necessary legal supports in a timely manner as is facilitated by the private practitioner scheme “
“The impact of delays in family Law matters can raise serious child protection concerns and may also impinge on people’s constitutional rights; issues so serious that budgetary concerns must not be allowed to impede access to justice” said McGarry “While we welcome today’s decision we are calling on the Minister for Justice and Equality to ensure the appropriate funding is afforded to the Legal Aid Board to ensure the protection of the private practitioner scheme going forward”