Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a general consensus that we are in a very unsatisfactory position. It is worth pointing out that it was the two amendments tabled by the Government, amendments Nos. 8 and 10, that gave rise to this difficulty. I do not see any way out of this other than the line being suggested by the Ceann Comhairle and which the Minister has advanced. We need to recognise that we need to take the element of trying to work to the Minister, Deputy Ross's timeline out of this. We know that the Minister is blocking the appointment of judges at present and that this Bill has to be passed in order for him to take away the prohibition on new judges being appointed. The Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and the Government need to wake up to the fact that the justice system in this country cannot be controlled and run by one Cabinet Minister, who is not even the Minister for Justice and Equality.

We need to recognise that this is a very complex area in which we are trying to set in place a new commission to advise the Government on the appointment of judges. Much more consideration needs to be given to it. What we cannot do is rush this into the Seanad, get a quick fix there, bring it back here and try to proceed as fast as we can in order to please one member of the Government.

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, needs to assert his responsibility in respect of this area. He needs to identify a path for the Government and Oireachtas showing how we will reach a satisfactory resolution in respect of this matter. We need the Government to act with collective responsibility, as opposed to individual responsibility.

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