I raise the issue of the withdrawal of professional services by barristers practising criminal law. I acknowledge the presence of Seán Guerin, chair of the criminal state bar committee of the Bar Council, along with other members of the profession. I know the Taoiseach is acutely aware of this issue as it has been raised by other members of the Fine Gael Party. He will be aware that there has been a 40% cut in these barristers' fees over the past 20 years. There was a partial restoration of 10% following the original protest back in October. However, there are a further two 8% instalments, plus another 2.5%, that need to be restored. A protest is being held today, with more planned for 15 and 24 July. This protest is affecting victims of crime, as well as other stakeholders who are involved in the administration of criminal justice. I urge the Government to make sure this review is commenced. I do not believe the Bar Council currently has confidence that the Government will deliver on that. It is looking for a binding mechanism to be put in place to determine fees, whether those fees are paid by the DPP or under the legal aid criminal justice scheme.

I, too, welcome Mr. Guerin and some of his colleagues to the Dáil. I begin by reiterating my appreciation, and the appreciation of the Minister for Justice, of the important role played by barristers and solicitors in the administration of criminal justice. We made some progress on this last summer with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and she secured €9 million to make progress on restoring criminal legal aid fees. There was a 10% increase in that regard but I know there is more work to do, as does the Minister. We want to resolve this issue. We want people to be able to go about their business and not see a disruption to the administration of justice. I hope the move we made is a sign of good faith. We want to achieve more this year. Let me say that clearly. We want to have a process and we want to achieve more.