Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully agree with the Deputy. We all heard this morning the figure of 122,000 as the initial backlog of summonses. Significant work has been done to clear that. There have been 97,000 cases heard since July alone in this particular area, but there was a backlog before Covid-19 started. That is why we need to make sure we have additional resources. It is why we need to look at the overall spaces we have, and that work has been happening through Covid-19, particularly for criminal trials. It is why we need to look at the number of judges we have to see if it is enough. It is why we need to continue to invest in digital technology, and I am very pleased about the 1,941 cases I have outlined. It might seem like a small number but it is multiples of what was heard this time last year. With 34 new venues getting digital technology, we hope those numbers will continue to increase. Part of my overall plan within the Department is to digitalise the justice sector in general. The courts are a huge part of that, and the more we can move into that space, as the Deputy says, the more quickly we can hear these cases and get through these kinds of backlogs.

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