Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

While I take on board the point made by the Deputy, for as long as I can recall, that is, for up to 25 years, I and the other two Deputies present in the Chamber - Deputy Catherine Murphy for certain - have been involved in calls for separate family courts. Moreover, there is a very good argument for this to happen. It would take additional personnel who were specially trained to adjudicate in such courts. The Deputy will be aware from his own experience that it simply is not appropriate for someone hearing, for instance, drink driving cases in the morning then to be obliged to deal with highly sensitive issues, such as family breakdown, access to children and so on. Consequently, there is a logical and reasonable argument to be made in favour of specific family courts. I support the Minister's thinking in this regard. As the Deputy is aware, the Minister himself is considered to be one of the country's leading experts on family law and I am sure he has experienced difficulties with regard to family law and how it operates in this country. While most people try to be sensitive and to do what is right, sometimes it is very difficult in difficult surroundings and sometimes people do not consider themselves to have the relevant expertise to carry out that function.

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