Ms Maura McNally:

The issue of remote hearings is a concern of the General Council of the Bar of Ireland. Deputy Kenny may not be aware that I am from Leitrim, but he will be aware that the broadband there leaves a lot to be desired. We have members in Donegal and we are lucky if we catch every tenth word they say. Broadband capacity, and the investment in the infrastructure required therefor, has been dismal. Broadband capacity outside of Dublin and certain built-up areas is limited. Capacity is Dublin-centric to a degree. If a practitioner is trying to run a case in Galway, Mayo, Donegal, Kerry or some of the islands off the coast, his or her chance of an appropriate remote hearing using the current technological capacity, which has purportedly been the object of investment, is limited to say the least. It is abysmal. It is fine once one passes a certain point on the M4, the M7 or the M9. I do not wish to be geographical but outside a certain area remote hearings just do not work. That applies to every type of case, not just those in which remote hearings could work, that is, cases with preliminary applications for which only the lawyers are needed and not the plaintiff or defendant. Even in those cases, the practitioners cannot be heard. The signal breaks up. When talking about the panacea of remote hearings, we have to look at the circumstances that actually prevail in this country.