Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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There has been an increased volume of work by this office in recent years. To give a taste of some of the activities, there was increased activity in the Central Criminal Court since 2019 and there has been a 149% increase in the number of court dates in the Central Criminal Court. The committee will be aware the Central Criminal Court deals with very serious offences, including murder and rape. There has also been increased activity in the Circuit Criminal Courts. In criminal matters, the Circuit Court deals with all matters prosecuted on indictment except murder, rape and aggravated sexual assault. Over the period of 2019 to 2023, there has been a 24% increase in the number of Circuit Court sitting dates in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Courts and the total number of investigation files received in the directing division for decision increased by 13% between 2019 and 2023.