Barristers to strike in NI over payment delays

More than 200 barristers are planning a one-day strike across courts in Northern Ireland over "unprecedented and worsening delays" in receiving legal aid payments.

The day of action will take place on a date to be decided in November.

The move follows a ballot of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which has about 230 members.

It said that barristers, after completing work, face a wait of up to six months to receive payment.

A CBA spokesperson added: "These delays are exacerbating the difficulties caused by reductions in legal aid rates which, when adjusting for inflation, have plummeted by between 47% - 58% since 2005."

"It is a matter of regret that criminal barristers have felt compelled to consider a withdrawal of their services.

"The barristers who provide these legal services in Northern Ireland are often facing intolerable cashflow pressures that their counterparts in other UK regions do not have to endure."

The organisation said it has been calling on the Department of Justice (DoJ) to address the issue for months, but "to date no tangible solutions have been offered."

The DoJ spokesperson said it is "sympathetic to the frustration of the profession", but action is "premature".

They added: "It risks adversely impacting those who need legal representation at a time when the department cannot do anything to resolve the issue.

"We fully appreciate the challenges faced by the legal profession and agree that the current budget provision is insufficient.

"We have made this point on a number of occasions and continue to have open dialogue with the Bar of Northern Ireland on a wide range of issues, including budgetary pressures.

They said, however, in the current political situation "there is no mechanism open to us to increase the budget".