Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On this issue the Deputy is preaching to the converted. I should make a declaration of interest, in that I am a qualified mediator. My view of the world is that far too many disputes end up in court hearings or are resolved outside the doors of the courts, after people have incurred very substantial expense, that could be dealt with at an earlier stage through the assistance of mediation. When enacted, the legislation is designed to ensure that mediation has a higher profile, that lawyers encourage people at an early stage to go to mediation rather than go to court and that we have a structure that is applicable to the varied types of dispute that substantially end up being dealt with in our court system. As the Deputy knows, the advantage with mediation is that it is a great deal less expensive than litigation.

I look forward to the enactment of the Bill in 2014. I do not want to give an exact date for its publication because, as is always the case, I am dependent on the technical drafting being completed in the Office of the Attorney General. However, I am optimistic that we will have the Bill in the first half of next year and enacted during next year. It will be a significant step in the right direction in trying to encourage people to litigate considerably less and to engage and negotiate more when disputes and difficulties arise.

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