Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I do not want to hold up the business of the House, but I have a series of questions, perhaps because I am nosey and curious. I am not going to make an issue of this, but the idea that we should retain the Courts Act 1476 because it provides a statutory basis for the wearing of gowns by the Judiciary is absurd. It is a long time, perhaps 84 years, since we should have got rid of the wearing of gowns by the Judiciary. Will the Minister of State comment on this? I am not trying to be awkward. However, gowns and wigs and all the nonsense of the courts are arcane. The United States has managed to develop a courts system without much of the trappings on display within its Irish counterpart. It might have been wise to drop the Courts Act 1476. This is a slightly different world. I might be Lord whatever and Senator O'Rourke might be Lady somebody else. In fact, Senator O'Rourke would not be a Member of this House because——