Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree that how evidence is handled, tested and reconciled goes to the heart of court proceedings and the rights of litigants and accused persons. It has implications in terms of costs, the length of time taken in cases and efficiency in civil and criminal cases that are before the courts. I am conscious of those implications. I sponsored what became the Legal Services Regulation Act through the Houses in 2015. That Act contains a number of key provisions, which are being implemented at present, aimed at controlling legal costs and increasing transparency in that regard. The implementation of some of the recommendations of the LRC in terms of evidence is also likely to improve efficiencies and speed of processing of cases. It makes eminent sense to consider these recommendations favourably as part of the overall strategy to reduce costs for parties to litigation.

I have asked the civil and criminal law divisions of my Department to examine this report. It is substantial, though, and I do not want to mislead the Deputy by giving him an immediate timeframe, but we should start by examining it and analysing the proposals as soon as possible.

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