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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
'Ireland faces legal aid crisis' as Flac fields 53,000 calls in a year
Ireland is facing 'nothing less than a civil legal aid crisis', the Free Legal Advice Centres (Flac) has said, after new data showed that the organisation received more than 53,000 calls for support last year. In its annual report, Flac said it only has the capacity to respond to a fifth of these queries, with family law and employment law the main areas in which people sought assistance. Furthermore, it said a record high of 539 queries in relation to domestic violence were received in 2024. 'We have nowhere to refer the 20% of callers who seek employment law advice as the Legal Aid Board cannot provide representation before the Workplace Relations Commission [WRC] or indeed in social welfare appeals,' said chief executive Eilis Barry. 'The Legal Aid Board does not have the function of providing legal information and while it can provide legal advice in relation to the areas of law where legal representation is not available, like social welfare, housing, and discrimination, it does not do so to any significant extent. Flac, with tiny resources and staff numbers, cannot begin to bridge the gulf left by the chronically under-resourced Legal Aid Board, with its limited functions and narrow scope. Callers to the Flac phoneline with family law queries frequently reported being unable to access a family law solicitor from the Legal Aid Board's private practitioner panel, even though they had been approved for legal aid. Flac also provided representation for 102 complaints under equality legislation. Cases under equality legislation involved alleged discrimination in employment by shops, hotels, schools, healthcare providers, childcare providers, and providers of public transport. Employment law queries centred on issues around grievance procedures, dismissal, bullying or harassment, and discrimination, which were all at higher rates than the previous year. Flac said it often heard from people representing themselves in cases before the WRC and facing an employer who has instructed a solicitor and barrister. Flac has nowhere to refer these people to because the Legal Aid Board cannot provide representation in such settings. Cases highlighted in annual report Its annual report also highlighted successful cases, such as the High Court ordering a local authority to provide a Traveller family with Traveller-specific accommodation after finding it had been unreasonable in withdrawing a housing offer to the family. In another case, a school was ordered to pay €5,000 in compensation to a student with a visual disability after the WRC found his exclusion from the Summer Provision Scheme constituted discrimination. "It is incredibly difficulty to achieve change in the area of civil legal aid, due perhaps to a perception that it is about more money for lawyers,' said Ms Barry. 'This ignores the very high cost of not providing legal aid to children, families, and communities, and the growing body of international research that shows unequivocally that investment in legal aid saves states more money than it costs. Civil legal aid needs to be treated like the vital public service which it is. She said the Legal Aid Board should be resourced to provide legal information and advice to address the 'huge unmet need' for these services, and it must be able to provide representation in employment, discrimination, social welfare, and housing cases.
BreakingNews.ie
23-04-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Traveller organisations call for improved mapping of youth work funding
Almost half of the Traveller population live in counties which have no funded Traveller-specific youth projects, according to a new mapping survey. The survey, launched by the Irish Traveller Movement (ITM), has led Traveller organisations to call for improved mapping of youth work funding to meet the needs of one of the most marginalised groups of young people. Advertisement The majority of funding for youth work programmes comes through the Department of Children's UBU programme, which targets disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable young people. The Irish Traveller Movement's co-ordinator of the National Traveller Youth Programme Rose Marie Maughan speaking at the launch of a new mapping survey of youth work funding at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) However, the ITM survey found that numerous counties with significant Traveller populations have no Traveller-specific UBU-funded youth projects – such as Cork, Limerick and Wexford. The survey, which looked at Traveller and mainstream services, found that while Traveller organisations were more active at engaging with youth than mainstream youth services, more than half of its organisations receive no funding for youth work. Mapping Youth work for Travellers in Ireland included data from 93 organisations, 67 mainstream organisations and 26 which were Traveller specific. Advertisement The ITM is a national advocacy and membership-based Traveller organisation representing local, regional and national Traveller groups and organisations across Ireland. It said the survey highlighted that young Travellers need to have equitable opportunities to access culturally competent youth work spaces – whether a Traveller-specific space, or a mainstream youth work space. The ITM's co-ordinator of the National Traveller Youth Programme, Rose Marie Maughan, said: 'The decision-making and allocation of youth work funding should respond to the fact that Traveller youth are a key target group who have a high level of tailored needs due to decades of social exclusion and experiencing anti-Traveller racism in all aspects of their young lives. 'It should allocate funds accounting for the population of Travellers per county, based on the Annual Counts of Travellers, as well as within the context of the broader youth population. Advertisement 'For example, the survey found Connaught received an allocation of just 7% of the UBU funding, while 17% of Travellers live in the province. This needs to change and be better targeted so that the needs of young Travellers are met. 'ITM is calling on the UBU programme to resource Traveller youth workers in all counties. And also for positive recruitment of Traveller youth workers in mainstream youth work services, in order to increase engagement with the local Traveller organisations.' Ms Maughan added that the ITM is keen to work with all key stakeholders to address the findings of the survey and ensure its recommendations are implemented through its National Traveller Youth Programme. The survey found that Traveller (52%) and mainstream organisations (45%) both reported educational disadvantage as the most significant challenge experienced by young Travellers. Advertisement Dolly Nevin, from the Laois Traveller Action Group, at the launch of a new mapping survey of youth work funding (Brian Lawless/PA) Speaking at the launch, Brian Byrne, Laois Traveller Action Group community development and youth worker, said he has seen first hand the transformative impact of targeted youth work. 'Young Travellers face significant barriers in education, employment and social inclusion,' he said. 'Without proper investment, we risk leaving another generation behind. Youth work provides not just support, but also hope, opportunity and a sense of belonging. 'Laois Traveller Action Group is proud to highlight the story of Dolly Nevin, a young Traveller woman whose life has been transformed through youth work. Dolly is now a strong and inspiring voice for change in her community.' Advertisement A panellist at the launch, Ms Nevin said: 'Youth work gave me the support and space I needed to believe in myself. 'It helped me realise that I could make a difference, not just in my own life, but in the lives of others too. Young Travellers face so many challenges – discrimination, lack of opportunity and barriers in education and employment. Ireland Trespass laws preventing Travellers from practisin... Read More 'Youth work gives us a chance to be heard, to grow, and to lead. Youth work changes lives. I'm living proof of that.' Also speaking at the launch, Rachel Coffey, Cork Traveller Visibility Group youth development worker, said: 'Youth work should be accessible for all, with a particular spotlight on culturally appropriate spaces to ensure Traveller youth can flourish and grow to their full potential. 'Investing in Traveller organisations where youth work opportunities arise should be supported given the barriers our youth face accessing mainstream youth services.'
