The Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) paid out nearly €750,000 in legal fees in 2022, Agriland has learned.
The council paid €510,837 in solicitors’ fees to two firms last year and barristers’ fees totalling €82,134 in the 12 months to December 2022.
According to information provided to Agriland, fees and expenses for six experts and witnesses amounted to €10,218 last year.
There were also “chairpersons’ costs” included in a summary of VCI legal fees from January 1 to December 31, 2022, which totalled €24,577.
The summary of legal fees also shows that the council paid “court costs” totaling €84,722 last year and stenography services amounted to €32,302.
A sum of €4,090 was also attributed to “legal costs accountant” in 2022.
VCI legal fees
In total, the VCI’s legal fees from January to December last year amounted to €748,880.
In a statement the VCI said:
“In the interests of transparency and openness, legal fees are interpreted to include solicitors’ fees, barristers’ fees, stenography fees, expert fees and expenses, legal assessor fees, the fees of the chairperson to the fitness to practise committee and deputy chairperson of the fitness to practise committee and all fees associated with any court proceedings.
“The majority of these fees are incurred in relation to the disciplinary processes conducted by the VCI, as the independent regulator of the veterinary professions and further to its statutory obligations under the Veterinary Practice Act 2005, as amended.”
The VCI’s legal fees have increased year-on-year since 2020 according to documents seen by Agriland.
A summary of legal fees from January 1, to December 31, 2020 showed that the council paid a total of €529,785; in 2021, the bill for legal fees increased to €675,801, and in 2022 the total bill for legal fees amounted to €748,880.
VCI
The VCI is the statutory body with responsibility for regulating the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing.
The council is made up of 19 members, nine elected veterinary practitioners, one elected veterinary nurse and nine appointed members.
It is a legal requirement to register with the VCI before a vet or veterinary nurse can practice veterinary medicine in Ireland.
The current fee for a new registration for a veterinary nurse with the council is €340 and the fee for a new registration for a veterinary practitioner is €620.
The VCI has previously indicated that it “welcomed” 302 new vets and 139 new veterinary nurses to its register in 2022.