Seanad debates

Wednesday, 12 November 2003

Courts and Court Officers (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second and Subsequent Stages.

 

It would be wrong to say the Judiciary and Courts Service were in some sense unwise to bring the administration of criminal justice out of Dublin and to the places where crimes were alleged to have been committed. The purpose of this was not simply to bring justice back to the community. One of the motives behind this decision was to alleviate pressure on local Garda resources and ensure that gardaĆ­ were not camped in Dublin for long periods. We learned from the experience and in these matters, it is a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. Mr. Justice Carney, who primarily presides over trials in the Central Criminal Court, the President of the High Court and the Courts Service are to be commended for their willingness to introduce this initiative and progress it. Any setbacks that may have occurred do not establish that it was foolish to attempt this in the first place. However, it underlines other problems and it is for everybody involved, including the Oireachtas, to address these.

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