Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have two final questions. I understand there is a commitment from the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, to increase the number of judges by 20 over a period, although there is no clarity on the exact areas they will be in. In this regard, I return to the point that the Chair made in the context of increasing resources rather than changing the process, or increasing resources and changing the process. Is it simply that we need more judges allocated to these types of cases? In the view of the witnesses, what is the thinking with regard to having a dedicated planning and environment court with judges who can develop genuine expertise over time, are adequately resourced with researchers and other staff and can keep abreast of changing European, international and domestic law so we can have not only more timely decisions but also more consistent ones in terms of legal effect? We have a Labour Court and Commercial Court. If there is a case to be made for a planning and environment court, it is really for the larger and more complex decisions. What are the views of the witnesses or those the represent on that matter?