Ms Cora O'Brien:

With respect, whether in principle, the Circuit Court should be retained and, second, whether it should be easier and quicker to get into it, are separate issues. Just because it takes a long time to access the Circuit Court does not mean it should be withdrawn. I want to ensure the Deputy is clear about where I am coming from on this point. If there are cases of delay, the best way of dealing with them is through quick throughput of the system. People cannot then delay. In fairness, what is proposed is, I believe, a big step forward in terms of ensuring this happens, provided it is adequately resourced.