Rules on criminal legal-aid panel to change
The Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has signed regulations that will remove a requirement for solicitors and barristers to re-apply for membership of the criminal legal-aid panel every year with a tax-clearance certificate.
The procedure for first-time applicants remains unchanged, but all legal professionals currently on the 2025 panels do not need to apply to be retained, as they will automatically be on the 2026 panels.
Under the new regulations, practitioners no longer need to submit tax-clearance certificates annually.
Compliance 'remains a condition'
The Department of Justice says, however, that it routinely checks tax compliance, which remains a condition in order for payments under the criminal legal-aid scheme to be processed.
The Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) (Tax Clearance Certificate) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 come into operation on 26 November, amending the (SI 135 of 1999).
The new regulations will be available on the Irish Statute Book in the coming days.