SOLICITORS who had represented women who sued the State to obtain equality in social welfare payments had been paid more than £2.3 million in legal costs by the State, the Dail Public Accounts Committee heard yesterday.
Calling for the solicitors to be identified, Mr Eric Byrne TD (DL) said it was "absolutely unacceptable" that solicitors paid by the taxpayer could not be named. He accused the legal profession of treating the State and public services "like a sponge".
Members of the committee heard a submission by the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare, Mr Edward McComiskey, last month in which he told them he had received legal advice that, due to a confidentiality clause, he could not name the solicitors who had shared the £2,305,000 in payments.
Mr Des O'Malley TD (PD) asked that the committee pass a motion that confidentiality clauses should not be included in State settlements. Alternately, such a clause should only be included with the consent of the Comptroller and Auditor General. This was agreed by the committee.
The costs arose after some women took legal action against the State over equality of social welfare payments. In February 1995 the High Court ruled that 70,000 married women had been discriminated against.
