Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

Senator Bacik has made an interesting contribution on this and I can follow some of the arguments she made. Obviously, she has personal profession expertise or experience in the area, which I do not. However, it strikes me that if we were to remove the jurisdiction of the District Court there could be a delay in processing these cases. When matters go to the Circuit Court there are frequent adjournments for various reasons and I am concerned that if jurisdiction is removed from the District Court such delays could involve public safety issues. Will the Minister of State factor this into his consideration when he examines the matter? The Senator has made cogent arguments in favour of her amendment but I have concerns, and we need to be satisfied on these concerns, that the court process can deal efficiently, effectively and expeditiously with the cases. The cases do not relate to the individual only. Obviously there are personal implications for the individual involved but there are also societal implications and they need to be balanced in any decision or judgment call made by the Minister of State.