Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 5, line 25, to delete “Circuit” and substitute “District”.

This relates to some of the points we already made. It proposes to change the court that one would approach from the Circuit Court to the District Court. I wanted to ensure I had captured all the courts. Even though it is on page 5, it comes back to the issue of amendment No. 11 so that if a person is applying to the court for a court exemption, it would be to the District Court.

It is a lower threshold, as well as involving a lower expense. The situation in the courts system is absolutely chaotic, with a backlog in every court. From a practical point of view, the District Court is accessible to the normal citizen, but the Minister of State is now making it difficult by forcing people to go to the Circuit Court. I may be wrong, but one requires a barrister in the Circuit Court which does not sit as often. Also, Circuit Court venues are not as widespread as those of the District Court. The amendment seeks to make it easier for those who will get caught up in this legislation to have the quickest possible turnaround, rather than waiting months or years for a Circuit Court decision on their applications.