2425. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of legal professionals currently on the legal aid panel in Wicklow; the breakdown of these numbers each year since 2020; if there have been recent resignations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58742/26]

Under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962, it is the Courts, through the judiciary, that are responsible for the granting of legal aid.

The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has no involvement in the granting of free legal aid or the assignment of solicitors. These matters are handled entirely by the courts.

Management of the courts, operational matters such as allocation of court business, the scheduling of cases and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution.

The Courts Service has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, at oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie. It should be noted that district court districts do not always align to county boundaries so it may not possible to provide a breakdown by county.

The changes to the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme in the District Court that came into effect on Wednesday 1 July are designed to make that system more efficient and effective.

The Department continues to keep the operation of the new criminal legal aid arrangements in the District Court under review following their introduction, including monitoring claims for fees, entries to and exits from the panel of solicitors and overall operations within the courts.