Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

This is a bit like the debate on alternative strategies to deal with the incarceration of young people and the cost that accrues to the taxpayer. Putting more resources into the mediation side of family law would be in the interests of the taxpayer in the long term. How frequently do we get cases in our clinics from people who find it very difficult to access the courts in this area? I refer to waiting times, free legal aid centres and so on. If the mediation services were available, they may obviate the necessity for resolution through the family courts.

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