The Irish Legal Aid Board has said in its annual report that there has been an increase of around a fifth in the number of people seeking legal aid.
Anne Colley, chairperson of the Legal Aid Board has commented that the increase in number of applicants is primarily due to the global recession. She stated "the economic downturn has had a very real and tangible impact on our operating environment" which has caused a "rapidly evolving imbalance" between demand and resources.
Moreover, out of the 16,632 applications made to the Legal Aid Board last year, approximately half concerned advice while the rest were in relation to court cases. Legal Aid CEO, Moling Ryan stated that "resource constraints coupled with increased demands has led to longer waiting times for applicants."
Click here to view a "FLACsheet" on legal aid prepared by PILA's parent organisation, the Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC), on how to access the Irish legal aid system.