Criminal legal aid certificates issued in Mayo drop by 100 percent
Mayo Solicitors’ Bar Association calls for urgent review of new Criminal Legal Aid Scheme following summer of disruption in courts
The number of criminal legal aid certificates issued in Mayo have dropped by 100 percent during the summer with fresh calls for an independent mediator to help resolve the impasse over the new Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
New figures from the Courts Service and released by the Law Society of Ireland show a dramatic reduction in the number of criminal legal aid certificates being granted by the Ballina and Castlebar District Court offices following the introduction of the new Criminal Legal Aid Scheme in July.
In Castlebar, the number of certificates granted fell from 102 in July 2025 to one in July 2026 while in Ballina, the number of certificates granted fell from 47 in July 2025 to zero in July 2026.
Gary Mulchrone, President of the Mayo Solicitors’ Bar Association, described the figures as deeply concerning and called for an urgent review of the new Criminal Legal Aid Scheme
“The figures provided by the Courts Service are deeply concerning and demonstrate the scale of the reduction in criminal legal aid certificates since the new scheme came into effect. As a direct result of the new scheme introduced by the Minister for Justice, the criminal justice system in Mayo is under significant pressure.
“Access to legal representation is a fundamental part of ensuring that the criminal justice system operates fairly and effectively. Solicitors in Mayo are seeing first-hand the impact that the new scheme is having on the provision of criminal legal aid, leaving many without access to justice.
“These figures should prompt an urgent review of how the scheme is operating in courts across the country. We would encourage the Minister and the Department of Justice to listen to the experience of practitioners on the ground and to take practical steps to ensure that access to justice is protected. The Law Society remains available to engage with the Minister and the Department of Justice on the announced review and on practical measures which could make the Scheme workable in the interim,” he said.
Mayo solicitors have continued to withdraw their services in the local courts in protest at the introduction of the new Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
The withdrawal of services began in June and continued throughout July with the sitting of the Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court also disrupted.
Solicitors in Mayo also agreed to withdraw services in the court in cases involving defendants not receiving legal aid which has resulted in significant back logs in the justice system in the county.
In a letter to the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, the Law Society has called for the appointment of an independent mediator to help resolve the impasse over the new Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
The figures provided to the Law Society of Ireland show that 702 criminal legal aid certificates were granted nationally in July 2026, compared with 10,277 in July 2025, a 93 percent reduction of certificates.
The figures cover legal aid certificates granted in the District Court, District Court appeals and matters sent forward for trial. Importantly, the July 2026 figures include certificates granted under both the old and new Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
The scale of the reduction is reflected in courts across the country. In Cork City, 579 certificates were granted in July 2025, compared with just 18 in July 2026. In Galway, the number fell from 320 to five, while in Limerick certificates fell from 396 to 169. In Dublin, 3,344 certificates were granted at the Criminal Courts of Justice in July 2025, compared with 60 in July 2026. At Cloverhill, certificates fell from 346 to 25, while at the Children’s Court they fell from 128 to nine.
The new scheme came into effect on July 1 and the Law Society says the new model does not adequately reflect the reality, complexity or duration of criminal cases.
The Law Society has identified two targeted changes which it believes would address the principal remaining concerns with the Scheme: ensuring that separate and distinct criminal cases are treated separately where appropriate and providing an additional certificate where a case extends beyond ten court appearances. The operation of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme should continue to be assessed against evidence from courts and practitioners across the country.