Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I welcome the contributions that have been made on this important Bill so far this afternoon. I commend the vision and efficiency that the Government has shown in progressing this Bill, which will fulfil the second phase of a multiyear plan to increase the number of judges. While those who work to administer justice in Ireland are among the hardest working individuals in the country, by increasing the number of judges available to hear cases, we can provide a further boost to their efforts.

Recent reports from the Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice, as well as the judicial planning working group, JPWG, found that Ireland had the lowest per capita number of judges in the EU, at 3.3 per 100,000 inhabitants. This compares with a European average of 22.2. In real terms, this translated to delays in Ireland’s judicial system, and in the past has worked to slow down the work of the system. As we know, justice delayed is justice denied. However, in response to these findings, both this Government and its predecessor chose to act decisively, committing to an increase in judge numbers from 173 to 217 over two phases. The first phase, enacted when An Tánaiste was serving as the Minister for Justice in 2023, created 24 new judges and brought with it immediate benefits. These included a reduction in the backlog of criminal summonses awaiting scheduling from over 61,000 at the start of 2023 to just over 7,000 by mid-2024. As well as this, the cancellation of District Court sittings was largely eliminated by the beginning of last year, there was a 17% increase in Circuit Court sittings around the country and waiting times for judicial review in the High Court dropped from 13 weeks to three weeks. Clearly, therefore, the changes made under the 2023 Act worked to greatly increase the capacity of the system to the extent that by the beginning of last year, as many as 12 Central Criminal Court jury trials were running concurrently, which was an all-time high.

This Bill then, which aims to add 20 judges to the courts system, does so on the back of an enormous amount of positive evidence. While this will no doubt be welcome and will go a long way towards improving how justice is administered in Ireland, we must remember that this Bill is a step in the right direction, but there is still more to be done. The JPWG report concludes, “Additional numbers in further phases should be determined by a review in 2025 of judicial needs up to 2028." Indeed, it has been noted by those in the judicial profession that increasing the number of judges is not the answer to all workload challenges and must take place alongside broader reforms of the justice system, as proposed by the reports above.

The Government has shown a willingness to act when it comes to providing a future plan for the justice system, and I have no doubt that as that plan is enacted, further consideration will be giving to the supplementary staffing requirements that go alongside an increase in the numbers of judges. I also welcome the Bill’s intention to amend the Street and House to House Collections Act 1962, the Child Care Act 1991 and the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, to repeal certain provisions of the Family Courts Act 2024, and to provide for related matters. These technical amendments are important measures that will improve these Acts’ operation and provide clarity on points of contention.

To conclude, I warmly welcome the Government’s work to increase the capacity of the justice system and I commend the provisions of this Bill, which aims to build upon the proven success of phase 1 to further improve the efficiency of our courts system. The Government has shown real ambition in improving the everyday operation of justice in Ireland, and I look forward to engaging with the justice sector on future developments of the system.

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