Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his response but it is evident that there is no will to change the situation. Extra judges are deployed to Donegal and there are extra sittings but these will not solve the problem, clear the backlog or relieve the trauma experienced by many clients in family law cases.

Who is responsible for this? On the one hand, the Bar Council says it needs extra resources, while on the other, the eminent Judge Fitzpatrick has said publicly that Donegal is a forgotten county. Between them are the suffering clients. Will the Minister of State intervene? This response is not intervention. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is taking no responsibility. He can delegate it to the Courts Service and say the decision rests there, but he deploys the resources. I want the Minister of State to intervene directly to eradicate the problems in the northern circuit and in County Donegal.