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

Everyone in this House will probably recognise, although they may not appreciate it as much as the Minister or I, the stress associated with family law cases. People go to court and it is a stressful event. When people go to court in family law cases, it is enormously stressful, and it has long-term impacts. The decisions of the court stay with people until the end of their lives, especially when children are involved. It is imperative to have a system in place that ensures that there is respect for and recognition of the fact that these are extremely stressful and traumatic experiences for people who are before the courts. I welcome that the Minister says that a family court Bill will be produced. We need to look on a more basic level at the services available to people who are before the courts. It is completely inappropriate that people who are involved in stressful litigation in the courts have to talk to their lawyers in a corridor because they do not have appropriate consultation rooms. We would not allow that for any other service in the State. We need to invest more in the family law courts and those processes. What proposals does the Minister have for Hammond Lane, where we are supposed to have a family law court?

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