Ms Deirdre Kenny:

We are grateful for the opportunity. It sounds as though the committee has received our message with regard to the trauma and impact people experience in the courtroom. I reiterate that delay is the biggest issue at present. We are receiving court dates for cases in 2023 that should have happened in 2019. Victims are waiting nearly six or seven years for those cases. The Courts Service is overwhelmed by the demand. It was overwhelmed before Covid-19 but it has certainly got worse. That is our primary concern at present. I would like the committee to keep that in mind.