Higher psychiatrist fees approved in effort to ease criminal trial delays

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform approved temporary higher fees for psychiatric reports on criminal defendants, after delays in securing assessments affected Central Criminal Court trials. On Wednesday, a Department of Justice representative said defence psychiatrists would be paid the same rates as prosecution experts until June 2026.

The prosecution can pay up to €300 an hour for report preparation through the end of June 2026, compared with its previous rate of €180 an hour; the defence rate had been €50 an hour lower. The Department of Justice has established a time-limited task and finish group to consider how to address barriers to psychiatrists’ availability.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the shortages were causing an impasse on his trial list and pointed to a case in which an Australia-based mental health professional offered to assist after the State struggled to find a psychiatrist. The approved fees and task force are the latest measures reported.