James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to follow on with question on the number of judges. The Minister of State mentioned the McManus report. This matter was raised at the committee last week. As Deputy Costello noted, it is not just with regard to High Court judges although obviously this is very important. The volume of cases that can be managed is a function of how many judges are available. We have an opportunity after Brexit, which we have been speaking about in the committee and elsewhere, to attract high-quality litigation and to be a centre for commercial disputes. We could be an attractive location for many reasons. These are the same reasons that underpin our economic success in other areas. This involves having courts available that are efficient and ready to go. This comes back to the number of judges.

Last week we touched on the issue in the District Court. Some are already overloaded, as is the case in my area of Naas. The Bill we considered last week extended GDPR cases to the District Court and the changes in the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, PIAB, mean that many of its cases will go to the District Court. Previously they would have been heard in the Circuit Court or a higher court. This will provide an additional strain and workload for the lower courts. There is talk about childcare cases being heard in the Circuit Court, which will place further pressures on it. It is at every level and not just the High Court although it is very important. There will be pressures at every level of the system. I am not overly familiar with the McManus report. Will it address all aspects of judicial resourcing? What is it doing? What exactly is being looked at?