The Dublin Labour MEP, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, has called on the Government to reverse the decision by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, to move the headquarters of the Legal Aid Board to Caherciveen, Co Kerry.
The move, said Mr De Rossa, would be potentially disastrous for those on low incomes who depended on legal aid centres for advice and assistance. He added that it was totally unacceptable that the Minister should be allowed to "cherry pick" a key service administered by his Department for transfer to his own constituency especially when there had been no consultation with board members or staff. "During his period as Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mervyn Taylor increased the number of legal aid centres from 16 to 30, virtually doubled the number of legal staff, and put what had been an ad-hoc scheme since 1979 on to a statutory basis.
"Despite this major investment, demands on the service have continued to outstrip its capacity to meet them. Now at a time when the Legal Aid Board urgently requires more resources, the Minister for Justice proposes to transfer this vital operation to his home town, a move that would have drastic consequences for the equality and efficiency of the service."