Mr. Brendan Ryan:

Yes. In the 2014 budget we were given €2 million to bring forward the Court of Appeal. A lot of this money has gone on infrastructure. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform sanctioned the 26 staff and has provided funding in 2015 for them. Work on the infrastructure required is ongoing. The Four Courts are housed in an old building and bringing ten new judges on board has caused some difficulties. To accommodate some of the new appointees we are preparing the old public records building which was formerly the home of the National Archives of Ireland before that body moved to Bishop Street. That accommodation will be ready for occupation in mid-January.

Judges of the new court are concentrating their resources on the criminal business side and spending most of their time sitting on two benches in the Criminal Courts of Justice where there is spare capacity. They come down on a regular basis to call on civil matter lists.