FLAC welcomes the Minister for Justice’s explicit commitments to civil legal aid reform and additional funding for the Civil Legal Aid scheme.

15 July 2026

The Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan TD launched FLAC’s 2025 Annual Report – Making the Case for Change – on Monday, 13 July. In his remarks at the launch event, the Minister stated that he has “instructed officials, and it is a commitment of mine I give here, that there will be an implementation of increased funding for civil legal aid in the budget that is announced in October. I have told officials in my department that is a priority for me.”

He noted that that “talks… are ongoing between myself and the Department of Public Expenditure - but I want to say to you, I am committed to this happening in the budget that is being announced in October.”

He continued:

“I cannot commit to you that everything contained within the Majority or Minority report [which arose from the first ever comprehensive review of the Civil Legal Aid scheme] is going to be provided for in the budgetary announcement in October, but there will, I believe, be significant progress in respect of civil legal aid which is a type of funding which needs to be improved and increased. I very much agree with what Eilis [Barr, FLAC Chief Executive] said on the radio this morning in terms of ensuring that individuals who are entitled to access to justice and to the administration of justice are provided with that. So having made that commitment about the budgetary process, and again this morning before I left, I said to the Secretary General that I want this as part of the budgetary discussions and commitments, and they’re very aware that is a priority for me.

Obviously, a careful aspect of any implementation will be the careful sequencing of reforms, and both my department and the Legal Aid Board are working closely together to ensure any proposed reforms are developed as part of the annual budgetary estimates process. As I say, I told officials, I want them introduced and I want to see the recommendations commenced in terms of the implementation.”

FLAC will be engaging urgently with the Minister and his Department about the reforms and resources which are required to resolve Ireland’s civil legal aid crisis.

In her remarks at the Annual Report launch, FLAC Chief Executive Eilis Barry emphasised that, in addition to increased funding, comprehensive reform of the scheme is also necessary and noted that “meaningful reform is doable, practical and cost effective.” She highlighted that we have arrived at a “once in a generation opportunity to not just increase the resources of the LAB - which is clearly necessary - but to finally establish a fit-for-purpose system of public legal assistance meet the needs of the most disadvantaged.”

Establishing general and targeted information services, a network of targeted law centres and community law centres in the areas of highest deprivation are comparatively cheap measures and would transform access to justice for the most disadvantaged communities.

Eilis Barry was the FLAC nominee on the Civil Legal Aid Review Group. She submitted the Minority Report to the Minister which was joined and supported by Review Group member Professor Thomas O’Malley SC. It recommends a complete reorientation of civil legal aid services with an emphasis on general and targeted preventative services so that people, in particular disadvantaged individuals and communities, will have access to legal information, advice and advocacy as early as possible so that disputes and problems will be resolved and not escalate. It called for a diversification in how services are delivered – including through community and specialised law centres, an enhanced role for Citizens Information Centres working in collaboration with Legal Aid Board Law Centres, and an overhauled system of Private Practitioner Panels which are properly trained and funded.

We hope that the Minister will adopt the recommendations contained in the Minority Report, and the two recent sets of recommendations of the two Oireachtas committees reports on legal aid and in relation to Domestic and gender based violence to respond with urgency to the crisis contained in the Oireachtas Justice Committee’s reports on Civil Legal Aid and Domestic and Gender-Based Violence.

We fervently hope that the Minister will use this once in a generation opportunity to establish a fit for purpose system of public legal assistance and urgently outline a civil legal aid reform plan.