Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

I comment at the request of the Tipperary Solicitors' Bar Association, which points out that section 12 proposes to require all plaintiffs and defendants to lodge every proceeding in court. That was the procedure up to approximately ten years ago, when it was changed, having been found to be too onerous and time-consuming for plaintiffs and defendants and to lead to unjustifiable extra expense in personal injury actions. It also required far more work to be carried out by the court staff in dealing with each document. The present requirement that legal papers be lodged in the court when the matter is set down seems to be working well for plaintiffs, defendants, practitioners and court staff. The question is why the Minister has gone back in time, for want of a better phrase, in this regard. Perhaps he might comment on that.