State expenditure on barristers increases after Court of Appeal establishment

State expenditure on barristers’ fees rose last year as a result of establishing the new Court of Appeal, according to Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The figures are included in the DPP’s annual report for 2015, published this morning.

Writing in the foreword, the DPP, Claire Loftus, said: “Expenditure on counsels’ fees rose from €13.4 million to €14 million, due partly to lengthy trials but also due to the significant increase in cases processed during the first full year of operation of the Court of Appeal.”

The Court disposed of 325 cases during 2015 and had disposed of another 166 cases by the end of June 2016.

The report outlines an increase in the number of prosecution files submitted to the DPP’s office from 14,014 in 2014 to 14,307 in 2015.

Ms Loftus wrote: “Despite the overall increase in file numbers and other demands on resources the office continued to exceed its targets for time taken to issue directions with 68 per cent of all files being directed on within one month and nearly 90 per cent within three months.”

Since November 2015, the DPP’s office has given victims access to summaries of the reasons for decisions not to prosecute, with some limited exceptions.

There were 333 such requests received by the end of June 2016, as well as 135 requests for review of decisions not to prosecute.