Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will do it within the time provided. I welcome the recent publication of this very comprehensive report of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality, of which the Deputy is a member and which is chaired by Deputy Ó Caoláin. I acknowledge the importance of the committee's work and congratulate the committee on the important level of public engagement that has taken place in the context of the report. My Department is particularly focused on the reform of the family law system in Ireland. Collaborative work at a cross-functional level is taking place in my Department, examining the policy, legislation and governance aspects of the modernisation of the family law system in Ireland. That modernisation includes the introduction of a new family court Bill and the development of a dedicated family court system. In addition, a task force comprising senior officials from my Department, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Legal Aid Board and the Courts Service has been formed to seek agreement on core questions of policy and cost.

The proposals being developed are very much in line with the recommendations made by the committee in its report. For example, work is at an advanced stage on the general scheme of the proposed family court Bill to enable the creation of a new dedicated family court within the existing court structures. Central to the proposed legislation is the idea that family courts will have new procedures aimed at less adversarial resolution of disputes and will have appropriate facilities and case management arrangements. I believe that this approach is very much in line with some of the key recommendations of the committee in its report. The report's recommendations are timely with regard to initiatives that I have at an advanced stage.

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