Local State solicitors have rejected three pay offers this year from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), the Dáil was told.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said negotiations with the State Solicitors' Association were ongoing, in a bid to reach agreement on the transfer of the functions of the Chief State Solicitor's office from the Attorney General to the DPP.
There had, however, been "three rejections since Easter" by State solicitors who prosecute cases in Circuit and District Courts for the State. Mr Ahern was nonetheless hopeful that agreement could be reached and that "there will be new State Solicitors contracts done on open competition. They will have to be agreed with the DPP. They can't finalise that work until they get an agreement around salaries, expenses and their overheads."
He added: "The State solicitors' offices are an important part of the whole legal system."
Mr Ahern was answering questions about the State prosecution service. The DPP's office had increased its office staff to 170 and the Chief State Solicitor's office now had 238 staff. There were now "400 people between the offices", the system was working far better now and without "the tensions of the past".
In the row over remuneration, pay and conditions, State solicitors have claimed they are subsidising the State, in prosecuting cases. Mr Ahern said that "there is a problem.
Some of the offices are very large like Cork, Limerick Galway and others are very small and it's a hard issue to get the basis of settlement."
The issue was "down at this stage to money".
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny called for "dedicated liaison officers in the Chief State Solicitor's office, the DPP and the Garda Síochána, whose purpose would be to inform victims of the progress of the case".
Mr Kenny also said that "the DPP should be able to make submissions on behalf of the people, that prior to sentence being handed down the DPP should voice an opinion on the range of sentence to be appropriate, on behalf of the people." The Taoiseach said he would "bring that to the attention of the various offices".
The DPP himself had referred in speeches to the sensitivities about "the lack of information or no information in cases".
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte asked if any progress had been made on the DPP's view that "he would like to see a legal policy unit opened in his office".
"The DPP has put forward a number of points," said Mr Ahern, about "how he wishes to change the format of his office. They are subject to the annual budget exercise. I don't think those issues are finished in discussion."
