asked the Minister for Finance if he will state in respect of each of the years 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 and 1944 (or in respect of such of these years for which the information is available) (a) the junior and (b) the senior counsel briefed in State prosecutions and the total fees paid or payable to each such counsel; if he will also state in respect of each such counsel the fees paid or payable in respect of (a) original trials where the conviction was subsequently quashed on appeal; (b) appeals resulting in the quashing of convictions; and (c) retrials following such appeals; and further (a) the total sums paid by way of costs in each of the years mentioned in respect of criminal proceedings where conviction was set aside on appeal and (b) the number of such appeals.

The particulars asked for by the Deputy in the first part of the question are not available in the precise form in which he has requested them, as separate records are not kept of payments to counsel in respect of civil and criminal cases.

Subject to this qualification, the answer to the various parts of the question is in the form of two tabular statements which will be printed in the Official Report.

Following are the statements:—

PARTICULARS REGARDING APPEALS.

NOTE—The figure in the second last column in relation to the year 1944 does not include the costs payable in five cases, viz.: (a) State v. Coleman, (b) State v. Harte, (c). State v. Keogh, (d) State v. Lehman and (e) State v. Smullen, as the costs is these cases have not been claimed or taxed up to the present (except in case (c) in which the amount payable is £275 7s. 5d.).

FEES PAID FROM THE VOTE FOR LAW CHARGES TO COUNSEL BRIEFED ON BEHALF OF THE STATE IN CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CASES.

Question No. 4—as Deputy Flanagan is not present, the answer to his question will appear as a Written Answer in the Official Report.