Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

However, my comments are all tied into the amendments we will face. Therefore, I feel I am within the rules - to some degree in any event - of being able to make these points. I would just like to have them on the record of this House before I leave and to issue a warning. This is purely a personal opinion, with which people may disagree, but this business of for ever passing on responsibility to another body is totally foreign to me. I have seen people of all parties and none come in here and make good decisions. Yes, there were some bad decisions but, by God, they were better than some of the ones that have been made by outside bodies over which we have no control or say. It seems to be the case now that we are all afraid to make decisions in case the media might have a go off us. Let us cop ourselves on really and truly. The appointment of the Judiciary is very important. As Deputy O'Callaghan, who practises in the Law Library, will tell anyone, there are some good solicitors and some bad solicitors, and some good barristers and some bad barristers. However, by and large, the people who serve on the Bench do a reasonably good job in very difficult circumstances, and the way in which they have been appointed has not seemed to cause any great problem until now. I wonder where we are going all the time in taking away responsibility from this House for making decisions. These decisions taken in courts affect ordinary people's lives. I wonder how key people can be appointed by some body with various representation. What is wrong with elected Members? If elected Members make bad decisions, the people have the choice not to re-elect them in the future.

I just wanted to put this on the record. I do not mean any disrespect to my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, but, generally speaking, we would want to watch where we are going with this.

See this speech in context