Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I commend Senator Conway on tabling this Private Members' motion. I will be brief because most of the areas I wanted to cover have been dealt with. I second Senator Ó Clochartaigh's amendment.

The Minister of State said the Bill is being drafted in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. We must appreciate the fact that the Government has a number of very important Bills before it, so this legislation must take its place in the queue. As Senator O'Donovan pointed out, the pilot mediation programme conducted in the Dublin District and Circuit Courts in 2013 resulted in 831 concluded agreements. This resulted in saving an estimated 12% of court sitting time and an annual saving of more than €120,000 in Courts Service costs and €225,000 in Legal Aid Board costs.

This is important legislation for ordinary people, so it should be enacted as quickly as possible. Just today in the High Court, mediation worked and saved enormous costs in the Rory McIlroy case. It is therefore something worth examining. This Bill will not deal with celebrities but with ordinary citizens. In his comprehensive contribution, the Minister of State said that barristers and solicitors will be obliged to inform their clients about mediation. That matter should also be examined.

I will not take up any more time as most of the areas I wished to raise have been covered and there is no point in repeating them.