Mr. Con O'Donohue:

It probably somewhere between six and nine months. It depends on how busy the court is and whether the person is charged at the time. Deputy Troy used the example of someone who was arrested today. Let us suppose a driver is taken to a station and the evidential breath testing instrument is used. Then, let us suppose we get back a reading straight away. A garda can charge the driver and bring him before the court. In that case it could be dealt with within a month or six weeks, given an adjournment and time for the defendant to get a defence in place.

Let us suppose the driver gave a blood or urine sample that has to go for analysis. It would come back from the medical bureau in a couple of weeks. Under that process, the driver is issued with a summons. The court date depends on how busy the court is and the associated scheduling. It could be six to nine months. A small percentage could go outside that timeframe. With a summons, it can take six to nine months and with a charge, the timeframe is probably within six to eight weeks.