Witness for the state in a court case

if you have been called to be a witness for the state in a court case, is your employer pay you like jury duty or do you have to take a day off or does the state refund expenses occured because of the call?

The DPP will reimburse you for any expenses incurred including any loss of wages.

Thanks a lot

bond-007 said:

The DPP will reimburse you for any expenses incurred including any loss of wages.

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I was a witness for the prosecution (State) in a traffic case about 6 years ago.

It took an age for the expenses to come through. Firstly the defendant had to pay the courts before the State would pay me. Secondly travel expenses were at some miserable rate - don't recall exactly, I think about 12p/mile, while civil service rate was about 40p/mile.

I handed in a letter from my employer detailing my salary - The judge read this out in court!! and asked me if I was getting this much - and then said he would only allow 75% of it!! I also detailed travel expenses and claimed at the public service rate.

Subsequently a Garda called to my house, gave me a form and said that it had to be completed before the travel expenses could be paid. I filled it in and handed it in at the Garda Station. Several weeks later, the Garda was back! Expenses couldn't be paid as I had claimed at a higher rate than allowable! Fill in the form again with the allowable rate.

In short: I got my expenses about 5 or 6 months after the case.

Advice:
a) Bring documentation from your employer to the court.
b) Before you go to court, contact the Clerk of Court and get both a form for expenses and also find out what rate expenses can be claimed
c) Ask the CoC it there is anything else you should know/claim.
d) Your employer may pay you directly, and you will then have to reimburse employer once the expenses come through. If this is possible for you, this is the way to go.

Finally, what a waste of Garda time, delivering all these notices, when a) the forms and info could have been issued with the witness summons Or b)they could also have been posted out or even given to me in court!