A judge has criticised what he called the “triumph of bureaucracy and administration over actually doing something” after he was told that the Legal Aid Board would not sanction a psychiatric report.
The court heard the board would not authorise the funding of the report until it receives a PPS number for a man facing a murder charge.
The accused was due to go on trial at the Central Criminal Court earlier this year but his case was adjourned due to concerns about his mental health.
A barrister for the accused man told Judge Tony Hunt on Thursday that initial difficulties regarding pay rates have been overcome after the Legal Aid Board indicated it would increase the amount it pays for psychiatrist’s reports from €120 to €300 per hour.
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However, the barrister said a new issue had emerged. The board will no longer, he said, sanction a report without a PPS number for the accused person. The accused’s solicitor has been unable to ascertain the number.
The judge said he could not “micromanage affairs between solicitors and the Legal Aid Board”.
“We can’t have trials held up over trivialities like supplying someone’s PPS number. It’s a triumph of bureaucracy and administration over actually doing something.”
A barrister for the State said the prosecution would do whatever it could to assist in discovering the accused’s PPS number. Hunt adjourned the matter to March for an update.
