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Budget ‘falls short’ on fees expectation – Bar of Ireland

The Bar of Ireland has stated its disappointment with Budget 2025 because of the incomplete restoration of criminal-barrister fees

The 28.5% cuts were implemented during the 2008-11 financial crash.

Justice minister Helen McEntee announced the partial restoration, by 8%, of the cuts that had been applied to the fees of criminal barristers in 2010.

McEntee previously stated that she saw “no good reason” why fee restoration should not apply to the professional fees of barristers.

Restoration is now outstanding since at least July 2018, the Bar statement said.

Earlier this year, Paschal Donohoe (Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform) confirmed that all other FEMPI-era related measures had been fully unwound across the public and civil service, the Bar statement added.

A meeting attended by hundreds of criminal barristers took place yesterday afternoon (3 October) to discuss the outcome of Budget 2025. 

Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, Seán Guerin SC said: “While Government took the first step in Budget 2024 to restore the cuts that barristers have endured since 2008, the commitment to restore a further 8% as announced in Budget 2025 still leaves the professional fees paid to barristers 10.5% below what they should be if we are to be treated fairly and similar to all other groups of workers where the State is the paymaster. 

'Full brunt'

“Even this partial restoration leaves barristers bearing the full brunt of the effects of inflation since 2008.

“We welcome the announcement by the Minister for Justice to restore the 8% cut to criminal barristers’ professional fees after 14 years.

“However, this partial reversal of fee cuts announced as part of Budget 2025 continues to fall short of what criminal practitioners had been expecting.”

The Council of the Bar of Ireland said it would seek to meet the minister and her officials to discuss the “clear commitment” to full restoration that she had given.