During the summer the Minister of State made a number of comments in relation to the high level of senior counsel representation in civil liability cases. Can he tell us when he envisages this number being reduced in High Court cases?

I invited the Bar Council to have discussions with me on a voluntary basis on how together we could tackle the question of legal costs in insurance cases. The Bar Council listened to what I had to say and are now considering the points which I put to them. I am awaiting a reply from them. I simply invited them on a voluntary basis to consider whether or not the level of legal representation in insurance cases was something they could stand over and I am awaiting hearing from them in that regard. Assuming we get a positive response, it will help to reduce costs.

Given the contradictory statement which emanated after the meeting which the Minister of State referred to between himself and the Bar Council of Ireland and the umbrage taken by the officers of the Bar Council in relation to the Minister's presentation of that meeting, could the Minister of State inform the House what points he put to the Bar Council with a view to reducing fees in insurance cases?

I put to the Bar Council the large number of lawyers involved in insurance cases and I pointed out to them a number of cases where the number of lawyers involved was eight and that eight lawyers on an insurance case was something I felt the country would not put up with much longer. I asked them to consider on a voluntary basis, as has happened in other countries, whether they would take an initiative in that regard and I am awaiting hearing from them. There were some differences of opinion in regard to who precisely said what and who heard what but when you ask a profession to consider some voluntary redundancies they might not hear as carefully as they would normally hear.