A special unit of 35 people is operating in the Chief State Solicitor's Office to deal exclusively with Army deafness claims, it has emerged. All but two of these were employed specially to handle the claims.
Speaking to journalists yesterday at the publication of the first annual report of the Office of the Attorney General, the Chief State Solicitor, Mr Michael Buckley, confirmed that 14 of the 35 staff were solicitors.
The report of the Attorney General, Mr David Byrne, covering 1996-1997, stated that the continued rise in the number of Army deafness claims meant that "a huge number of cases have to be processed". However, this development has had a more severe impact on the Chief Solicitor's Office than on the Attorney General's Office.
According to the report, during the year ending July 1997, the Chief State Solicitor's Office processed 4,150 Army deafness cases. (The Chief State Solicitor acts as solicitor to the Attorney General, to Ireland, the DPP and to Government Departments).
Forty per cent of cases handled by the Attorney General's Office were personal injuries claims, representing a 30 per cent increase on the previous year. This did not mean that 40 per cent of staff time was spent on dealing with these cases, Mr Byrne said.
It was important to publish such an annual report in the interests of accountability to the public and to show clearly the work that was done in the Office of the Attorney General, he said.
In the wake of the murder of Veronica Guerin in 1996, the then government adopted and implemented numerous initiatives to combat crime which required the urgent consideration of the Attorney General's Office. These necessitated the rapid provision of advice and placed "a very severe strain on the resources of a small office".
It was "very difficult" to measure the pressure on the Attorney General's Office today because it ebbed and flowed, but "there are times when it is stretched very considerably". From 1994 to 1997, there had been an enormous increase in the level of activity at the office.
Asked if the seven-month delay in dealing with the Brendan Smyth extradition warrant could happen again, Mr Byrne said the technology now established in his office was designed to ensure it operated efficiently.
There had been a substantial increase in the allocation of resources to the office under both this Government and the last administration. Staff had increased from 40 to 75 in the last five years and the annual cost of running his office was now £5.1 million.
Fees to counsel for advice "bought in" amounted to £3.6 million. This would cover all kinds of advisory work, provided mainly by barristers.
Mr Byrne defended the daily rate of £1,350 paid to Senior Counsel in the Flood and Moriarty tribunals. As Attorney General, he was involved in negotiating the rate with the lawyers in the tribunals of inquiry and believed it represented good value for money.