Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The points made by Senator Bacik are fair. I reiterate the point I made during the debate on section 9. As I understand it, the issue of retention will be examined during the assessment of the adequacy of the profession's admissions policies. The structure of our courts system can make things difficult for mothers of young families in particular. I did not know that lower fees are charged in circumstances of maternity leave. It could be suggested that as mothers try to develop their careers and meet their child care responsibilities, the manner in which the courts are ordered and the legal diaries are constructed is anti-family. A fair degree of work is needed in this area.