150 Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount spent on legal fees by him in the years 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45630/10]

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 years 2008, 2009 and up to 29 November, 2010.

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

152 Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the amount spent on legal fees by her in the years 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45632/10]

I assume the Deputy is enquiring about amount spent on legal fees by the Department in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The information requested by the Deputy is as set out in tabular form.

In general, whenever the Department requires legal services, it obtains these from the Office of the Attorney General and/or the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. Any associated fee costs are borne directly by those two Offices. However, on occasion and in exceptional circumstances, the Department, including the National Archives, may obtain legal services from other sources.

The expenditure in 2008 and later relates primarily to legal fee costs associated with the specialised and complex Public Private Partnership processes to redevelop both the National Concert Hall and the National Theatre. These were in respect of professional legal services procured, respectively by the National Development Finance Agency and the Office of Public Works in respect of those processes, and recouped from this Department's Vote.