Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Courts Bill 2023, if passed, will increase the maximum number of judges in the District Court, Circuit Court, High Court and Court of Appeal. This increase in judicial resources may lead to the faster and more efficient processing of court cases. It may also help to reduce the backlog of cases in the courts and improve access to justice. Overall, the Bill seeks to enhance the functioning of the Irish courts system by providing adequate resources in the form of an increased number of judges. This may lead to improved efficiency, better outcomes for litigants and a more accessible and fair justice system.

I have asked before and I ask again about the plans that are in place to appoint a State solicitor to west Cork to replace Mr. Malachy Boohig who retired from that post in December 2022 after 36 years of service. We are aware that Mr. Jeremiah Healy, the solicitor in Fermoy who is the State solicitor for east Cork, is acting State solicitor for west Cork at the moment but this is not a satisfactory long-term arrangement, as we want to retain our own State solicitor in west Cork. There are plenty of suitably qualified solicitors willing to take up this position.

While the appointment of judges is slightly beyond our brief here, I do know a lot of great, qualified people who have approached me on this issue. I do not think judges should be political appointees in any way, shape or form but they have made the point to me that it is impossible to be appointed as a judge, even though they might have worked up along the line professionally over the years. It is very unfair to some who feel they are qualified to be considered as judges. Maybe the appointment process will become more transparent in the near future.

Another huge issue for me as a Deputy, and I am sure it is true of other Deputies, is migration. Why do we get such vague answers from the Department of Justice in relation to specific queries we make? Surely if we have all of the details and the person in question's authorisation, we should be able to get definitive answers and not just the usual generic responses or links to websites. I am dealing with a lady from Ghana who came here on a 90-day visitor visa under extreme circumstances to help her sister whose young baby died. I am trying to get an answer as to how this young lady can stay here for longer than the original 90-day visa in order to help her sister. Answers are not forthcoming from the Department of Justice which I find totally unreasonable. This is not just an issue with this case but with other similar cases. I urge the Minister of State to look into this.

Regarding the courts and the cases that come before them, gardaí play a huge role in preventing people from ending up before the courts. Community gardaí are very important but I see less and less activity by community gardaí throughout the country. Community gardaí are becoming rare and the new Garda roster is becoming a huge issue that needs to be addressed. If the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, continues on the road he is travelling, gardaí will earn less in both wages and allowances for working unsocial hours. All in all, we will have a Garda service whose members are greatly unhappy and that is not something we need at this time. There is increased activity in the courts as a result of the closure of Garda stations and the fact that there are fewer gardaí out and about in the community. We lost quite a number of Garda stations in west Cork under the previous Fine Gael-led Government and that has led to increased criminal activity and increased worry for people. I hope the Government will address these issues going forward.

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