FoI in Ireland: No disclosure of public money paid to lawyers

FoI in Ireland: No disclosure of public money paid to lawyers

Pressure was mounting last night on Northern Ireland’s richest lawyers to disclose their earnings from the public purse amid concern that a Freedom of Information request for the data has remained unanswered for more than two years.

Under a Freedom of Information request by the Belfast Telegraph and another media outlet in 2006, the Legal Services Commission was asked to release details of those lawyers and legal firms in receipt of the highest payment from publicly funded legal aid.

Despite being obliged by law to answer the request within 20 working days, unless there is a valid reason, the information has still not been released.

Two-year silence on the amount of public cash paid out to legal firms (Belfast Telegraph, 31 October 2008)