Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last week, in reply to a question I put to him in this Chamber, the Taoiseach graciously agreed there was a case for judges making declarations of their interests. This was in response to a judge having recused himself from a case when he held shares in CRH plc. Judges are in the spotlight at present and I wish to ask the Minister a question.

This week a judge from the District Court was convicted of a serious offence for the first time in the history of the State. I will not comment specifically on the case except to ask that in the light of the fact that the Judiciary is being proved to be accident-prone and no judge has ever been impeached by the Houses of the Oireachtas - it is almost impossible to dismiss a judge in this country - will the Minister answer the following question? What procedures are in place to ensure judges, especially those of the District Court, are properly vetted before they get those jobs? It is quite obvious the most important qualification is political influence or colour. Apart from the judicial appointments advisory board, are judges subject to interview or questions? Do they need any qualifications apart from a basic legal qualification? It is important we avoid the sort of incident that has happened in the case I outlined and we must take precautions to ensure judges have a past which qualifies them for the job and are not simply qualified politically.

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