Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this Bill. It addresses one of the most fundamental aspects of the work of the State, which is timely access to justice. Public confidence in our courts system and the processes employed within it underpin the effective working of our courts. A lack of a sense of justice can have a corrosive effect on public faith in the courts and spread to other agencies and institutions of the State. Without public confidence in our institutions, we risk setting in motion a process of erosion that can, over time, erode confidence in government, politics and even democracy itself. We can see the risks that this poses. In times of crisis, we rely on our State institutions to help to guide our population through the darkest of times. It is for that reason that this Bill is so important.

The Bill seeks to establish an effective solution, or rather one of several solutions, to delays currently being experienced in court proceedings within the State. This must be a priority for the Department of Justice and the Government itself. As others have said, this follows remarks by the Council of Europe and other institutions in relation to timely access to justice within our State. Having been a member of Dáil Éireann since 2011, I am conscious that access to justice was an issue in relation to companies coming here for FDI purposes.

I note that the clock is ticking but I understood that I had seven minutes.

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