Mr. Bernard Joyce:

What we are all probably saying is that there is a need for an ethnic question to be included. It is not necessary for someone to be on a jury and to display a T, for example, to specify that they are a Traveller, LGBT, etc., and nor should such information be anybody else’s business. However, what the system should be able to accommodate is the ability to collect data and identify information regarding the diversity of juries. It should be possible to collect such data over a year to provide insight into how diverse juries are. It should also be determined what measures must be put in place to address whatever gaps might be found and to improve the court system in future. There is a real and tangible way in which that can be done, and we have been asking for this for many years in respect of ethnic data being disaggregated across all public bodies, including the courts system and An Garda Síochána.

There is precedence in other areas and I cannot see why that would not cross over for juries.