It seems that judges do not have to ask questions. Nowadays, if I understand it correctly, the judge only investigates, or is only required to investigate, when there is an objection from the Garda. That is a dereliction of duty. There is a responsibility when issuing a certificate to say the premises in question is worthy to be opened as a licensed premises which is a place where many dangers can ensue. Why is it not an absolute obligation in law, as it is in morality, for the person issuing the licence to be sure that it is a proper and reputable premises? When I taught in Trinity College I gave recommendations to my students. My recommendations were all highly valued because I never gave them out unless I knew the people involved and what the circumstances were. If there was something shady in his past, I would advise him to get somebody else to write it because I was not going to stand over it unless I could say he was caught with half of the Odyssey written down his or her left arm, under the cuff, in an examination. The same standards should apply in courts.