§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consultation has taken place with the Irish Government regarding the property assets and bank deposits held in the Republic of Ireland by Michael McKevitt and Liam Campbell. [96804]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonI have been asked to reply.
I am not aware of any consultations with the Irish Government on the subject of assets held by McKevitt and Campbell. I would anticipate that the Assets Recovery Agency and the Criminal Assets Bureau will work closely together on such matters. It would not however be appropriate for me to indicate whether an investigation is being carried out by the Assets Recovery Agency in respect of any particular individual.
§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will seek co-operation from the Government of the Republic of Ireland to obtain a full list of assets held by Michael McKevitt and Liam Campbell in order to establish their eligibility for legal aid in Northern Ireland. [96805]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonI have been asked to reply.
The Legal Aid Department of the Law Society has a Fraud Investigation Unit, which will investigate any information that has been passed to them.
If anyone has information to suggest that an applicant for legal aid may not have made a full declaration of their assets, I would encourage them to share that information with the Legal Aid Department and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The Government do not however comment on, or intervene in decisions made about the grant or refusal of legal aid in individual cases.
Although the Lord Chancellor has ministerial responsibility for legal aid in Northern Ireland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland, through its Legal Aid Committee and the Legal Aid Department, makes decisions on applications for civil legal aid in accordance with statutory principles. It is important that decisions on the merits of individual cases are, and are seen to be, free from political influence.