Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

The Donegal Bar Association, which represents a majority of solicitors in Donegal, has highlighted a significant backlog of cases in the Donegal District Court and the Circuit Court for the northern area. Many of these cases would relate to family law, such as separation and divorce cases. There are examples of a three-year waiting list. This call comes with a backdrop of the population of Donegal being 140,000, with the Circuit Court dealing with a population of 300,000. There are also case loads from Northern Ireland.

It is a novel scenario for members of the Bar Association to make a public plea for additional resources. The plea is specifically for the appointment of a second District Court judge to Donegal and a second Circuit Court judge to the northern area. It is a serious issue as many of these cases are being struck out. Some weeks ago a very eminent judge made a very strong statement in saying County Donegal was a forgotten county in terms of resources. This is very serious for the law and instilling a proper belief system in it. Ultimately, justice delayed is justice denied.