David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, who is occupied in the other House on Government business, I am pleased to commend the Courts (Establishment and Constitution) (Amendment) Bill 2019 to the House. No amendments to the Bill were proposed on Report Stage.

The Minister has asked me to acknowledge in particular the co-operation and support that has been given to this Bill by colleagues and party spokespersons across the House. It is hoped that, subject to the completion of today's proceedings and the conduct of business as may be agreed by the Houses, the Bill can be completed for enactment before the summer.

As the House is aware, the purpose of the Bill is to provide for an increase in the maximum number of ordinary judges of the Court of Appeal from nine to 15. The Bill, therefore, provides for an amendment of the Courts (Establishment and Constitution) Act 1961 to increase the statutory number of ordinary judges of the Court of Appeal from nine to 15.

At present, the court comprises a President and not more than nine ordinary judges as set down in statute. There has been no change in this configuration since the court's establishment in 2014. The Court of Appeal plays a pivotal role in dealing with a whole range of appeals arising from both civil and criminal proceedings across a number of court jurisdictions. However, we are now at a point where it is clear from the current trend in waiting times that, without additional judges, the Court of Appeal, before too long, will be facing the kind of delays which necessitated its establishment back in 2014.

Information received from the Courts Service confirms that, as matters stand, hearing dates for civil cases before the Court of Appeal have already been fixed, up to and including May 2021. While some allocation has also been made within that schedule so that more urgent appeals can also be dealt with, the time available for civil appeals is essentially fully allocated up to that time. The President of the Court of Appeal has also highlighted the need for this Bill with the strong support of the Chief Justice.

On behalf of the Minister, I thank my colleagues for facilitating this Bill and for their co-operation and support.

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