James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, my Department is leading a programme of family justice reform set out in the first family justice strategy, published in November 2022. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I have set out an ambitious vision for a family justice system of the future, a system that will focus on the needs and rights of children and which will assist their parents in making decisions that affect all of the family. The plan outlines the steps needed to create a more efficient and user-friendly family court system that puts the family and children at the centre of its work. This will be achieved through the implementation of more than 50 actions across nine goals, with timelines for delivery up to the end of 2025. A key component of the strategy is the enactment of the Family Courts Bill 2022, which provides for the establishment of a family High Court, a family Circuit Court and a family District Court within the existing court structures, each of which will deal with family law matters as appropriate to its jurisdiction. The family district courts will have dedicated, specialist judges to deal with family cases who will not have to deal with other civil or criminal cases.

Their work will be supported by a range of services to assist families who need to come to court. There will be extensive preparatory work in advance of the legislation coming into force to make sure the new family courts will work effectively. To ensure individual cases will be dealt with at the appropriate court level, the family district court will be able to send forward proceedings to the family circuit court where there are special circumstances in the proceedings that would make it more appropriate for the proceedings to be dealt with by that court.

Officials in the Department will meet representatives of the Bar Council and the Family Law Association this week to engage on this issue. They will also meet representatives of the Law Society in the coming weeks to discuss any concerns about the Family Courts Bill. The Bill is progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas and it is my aim it will be enacted as soon as possible.

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