Ms Angela Denning:

It depends on the legislation. For example, some appeals in some environmental and planning matters go to the Circuit Court. Some appeals will go to the High Court, but judicial review is only dealt with in the High Court. Again, the difference is that an appeal is a complete rehearing and look at the facts. You start afresh, but with judicial review the judge is only looking at the process to make sure that the process set out in legislation or in statute is complied with. For example, in planning matters, if An Bord Pleanála is supposed to take certain matters into account when making its decision, judicial review is to ensure that it took those matters into account and does not look behind the decision itself.