Department spends €1 in every €17 on legal costs

The children’s minister has pledged to tackle escalating court costs in childcare cases following the revelation that €1 in every €17 spent by her department goes on legal bills.

A total of €25.4m was spent by the Department last year on legal fees, a sum that equates to its entire capital expenditure budget for building and infrastructure this year.

Of particular concern is the €6m paid to the unregulated guardian ad litem (GAL) service, which is used to give the child at the centre of a case an independent adult to accompany them and represent their interests.