aid certs deeply worrying

The number of legal aid certificates granted in July this year fell by 93% compared to last year, according to the Law Society, which will appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Justice later today.

A new Criminal Legal Aid Scheme was introduced in July this year by Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, which replaced a per-appearance fee with a €520 flat rate, prompting hundreds of solicitors to withdraw their services.

In its opening statement to the committee, the Law Society will say the new scheme is having a real and negative impact on how the legal aid system operates.

It will say the number of legal aid certificates granted collapsed to just 702, compared to July 2025 when 10,277 such certificates were issued.