Criminal legal aid spending in Clare increased by more than ten per cent last year despite the pandemic.
More than €4.2 million euro has been spent in this county on the scheme in the last five years.
The Criminal Legal Aid system is means tested and means the State picks up the bill for paying a solicitor during a criminal case when a defendant is not in a position to pay for it.
Almost €850,000 was spent by the Department of Justice on the scheme for criminal case defendants in Clare alone throughout 2020 – a fraction of the nationwide spend on the scheme, which is over €65 million.
That’s despite court business here and across the country having been severely curtailed since March of last year due to the onset of COVID-19.
Last year’s spend here compares to more than €760,000 back in 2019 – though neither figure is as high is the more than €985,000 that was spent in this county on Criminal Legal Aid back in 2018.
In total, well over five million euro has been spent in county Clare alone by the State on defending those in criminal cases who cannot afford to pay for it themselves since 2015.
