Special vacation sittings will begin at the Four Courts in Dublin on Monday to deal with a large number of criminal trials. The move got the go-ahead yesterday when the Bar Council announced the suspension of a planned action over the late payment of fees in legal aid cases.
However, the criminal Bar has reserved the right to reactivate a campaign of non-participation in legal aid work from October onwards if new measures have not been implemented satisfactorily by then by the Department of Justice.
Barristers warned in July they would not take part in the special two-week vacation sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court unless payment arrears were settled and the present legal aid scheme was replaced by a new streamlined system.
Barristers have complained of payment delays of up to two years and some claim to be owed over £40,000.