232 Deputy P. J. Sheehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount paid by his Department in legal fees for each of the years from 2000 to date in 2010; the amount paid in legal fees by each of the agencies and bodies under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29134/10]

The Department incurs expenditure on legal and compensation costs/fees from Vote 38 Department of Social Protection and the Social Insurance Fund. The elements of these payments relating solely to legal fees are not recorded separately. The following table sets out expenditure on legal and compensation costs/fees for the period from 2000 to date in 2010.

Costs relating to prosecutions arising from fraudulent claims made to the Department are borne by the Chief State Solicitor's Office.

Details for the bodies under the aegis of my Department are set out in the following table.

*High Court cases in 2007: — In one appeal that went to hearing in 2007, the Pensions Ombudsman's determination was upheld in part. The second part was not tested, as the appeal fell on the first issue, and costs of the appeal (€26,969.79) were awarded to the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman. The refund to the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman which was made in February 2008 exceeded the combined legal costs in 2008 resulting in a saving of €2,572.27.

**The Combat Poverty Agency integrated with the Office for Social Inclusion to form a new division within the Department of Social and Family Affairs, on 1 July 2009 in accordance with a Government Decision announced as part of Budget 2009. The functions in relation to social inclusion were transferred to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs with effect from 1 May 2010.