Louth TD Admits “Oversight” After Failing to Declare Legal Aid Payments - 02/07/2026

Fine Gael TD Paula Butterly has said it was an "oversight" not to declare that she had received payments under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme while questioning the Justice Minister about proposed changes to that very scheme at an Oireachtas committee this week.Deputy Butterly, who is a practising barrister, received €2,667 under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme in 2025. Under Oireachtas rules, TDs and Senators are required to declare any material interest when participating in debates or committee discussions if that interest has not already been declared in the Register of Members' Interests.The matter has prompted questions about transparency, potential conflicts of interest, and whether the current rules governing declarations are sufficiently robust.Deputy Butterly joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.