Pictured: Donal Lunny KC

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) began a boycott of legally aided Crown Court cases at the start of the year to pile pressure on the Department over criminal legal aid fee levels and payment delays.

Members this week voted “overwhelmingly” to extend the action for another four weeks from 1 February 2025.

Criminal barristers have also been refusing to take new instructions in Category A cases – which include trials for murder and serious sexual offences – since the beginning of November 2024.

From February 2025, the refusal to take new instructions will extend to multi-complainant Category D cases.

Bar Council chairperson Donal Lunny KC said: “This extended action on the part of the Criminal Bar Association is regrettable but also became inevitable as January progressed and the Department of Justice failed to engage meaningfully with the Bar in respect of the serious concerns which have given rise to the CBA’s action.

“Such limited engagement as there has been has served to exacerbate, rather than to alleviate, the concerns of the CBA around the Department’s approach to the administration of the system of criminal legal aid in our Crown Courts.

“These concerns are reflected in the fact that turnout was the highest of any of the recent CBA votes on the current industrial action and in the fact that almost 90 per cent of participating CBA members voted in support of an extension of the withdrawal. 

“The Bar of Northern Ireland repeats its call for the Department of Justice to recognise the extent of the crisis that prevails and act with expedition to address it.”