Two Dublin-based solicitors were each paid more than €1 million under the criminal legal aid scheme last year, according to new figures.
They show that the total amount paid to solicitors under the scheme in 2006 was €24.802 million, compared to €21.47 million in 2005 and €15.13 million in 2004. The highest earner under the scheme was Michael J Staines, who was paid €1.543 million, followed by John M Quinn who received €1.211 million.
Mr Staines was the only solicitor to be paid more than €1 million in 2005, at €1.373 million. Both solicitors are consistently among the top five earning solicitors under the criminal legal aid scheme.
The third highest amount last year of €975,367 was paid to Michael E Hanahoe. Twenty-six solicitors were paid more than €200,000 each.
The figures were given to Sinn Féin TD Arthur Morgan in a written Dáil reply from Minister for Justice Michael McDowell last night. Mr McDowell said as well as the criminal legal aid payments, €8.24 million was paid under the civil legal aid scheme in 2006, including refugee legal services.
Mr McDowell said the Legal Aid Board had established panels of solicitors in private practice to complement the service provided by the law centres, to speed up the civil legal aid service. These solicitors provide services in certain family law matters and appeals to the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.
Last year €1.77 million was paid to solicitors on this panel.
Mr Morgan said last night that the continuing increase of these figures every year was a concern, but they underlined the "vast, vast sums" which, in comparison, are paid to lawyers working for the planning tribunal.
"The tribunal lawyers are being paid far greater sums. In the context of what they get, the figures released under the criminal legal aid schemes are a pittance compared to the millions tribunal lawyers get."
He said tribunals were dealing primarily with politicians "so politicians are effectively costing us millions more than criminals".
Director general of the Law Society Ken Murphy said the fees did not "in any way represent the personal income of individual solicitors".
"In the great majority of cases, the payment would be to individual firms where there would be a number of solicitors involved, while office overheads, staff and IT costs would have to be paid before you can arrive at a gross income figure."