Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact the family court Bill will be published before the recess. The Minister has captured the essence of what the problem is. The family law system in Ireland, as it currently stands, is archaic. My difficulty - and the message I get from my constituents - is that those attending their local District Court on family law matters are obliged to sit in the court where there are a multitude of people on a variety of charges, including criminal charges. While the family law cases are heard in private, the very presence of the parties in the court is public. That can be very traumatic for reasons that are quite obvious. The least that people deserve, when they are attending court on a family law matter, is that their case will be heard in private, and that they have the privacy required.

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