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

Under the legislation in place since 1995, the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board has had the capacity to interview applicants for judicial appointment. It has been said judicial appointments should only be made on merit. I totally agree and it has been my view for many years, well before I was appointed Minister. In government we have sought to make appointments based on merit. The capacity of an individual to act as a member of the Judiciary and his or her legal background are issues at which the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board can look based on the criteria for eligibility detailed. Even in the context of current legislation, it would be beneficial if arrangements were made by the board, where appropriate, to interview potential candidates for the Judiciary, as this would provide an additional insight. It would also be of assistance to lay members of the board who have no personal knowledge, generally, of any of the applicants, whereas members of the professions who sit on the board and the presidents of the courts may well know some of the applicants and what their capacities are when they appear in the courts system.

I thank publicly those who made submissions. I hope we can have a good discussion in the House on possible reforms before I proceed to make proposals to the Cabinet. Some reform in this area is in the public interest. I will come back to the issue.

See this speech in context