Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I acknowledge the fact that both the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, are making reforms and are progressive. They have taken a lot of very positive initiatives in the Department to date. I am glad that the Minister has acknowledged that the current system is failing people. The District Courts are overcrowded. It takes an unreasonable amount of time for cases to be heard. Due to this pressure, District Court judges simply do not have the time required to deal with in-depth and sensitive family law cases. We should note that since the amalgamation of smaller local courts into bigger District Courts, the criminal case lists have become unmanageable, despite increased sittings. As we know, family law matters take time. That time is simply not available under the current system. These cases require a separate and dedicated family law court, as the Minister mentioned. In conjunction with this, I ask the Minister to give people greater access to mediation. The service is currently underfunded and unavailable to many people.

See this speech in context