11-month waits for legal appointments

PEOPLE who cannot afford to pay for a solicitor are waiting up to 11 months in Tipperary and up to six months in Cork city before they can get a first appointment with a legal representative.

In Tallaght, there is a 10-month wait to see a solicitor if you can’t afford to pay private fees.

There are up to 22 Free Legal Aid centres around the country and all have reported a huge increase in demand over the past three years due to rising unemployment, sharp drops in incomes and a recruitment freeze in the public sector.