Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The simple fact is the composition of our Supreme Court is so important there is only one organ in our Constitution which is vested with the responsibility for it and that is the Government. Efforts to hem it in and prevent it from making appointments are, in my view, very misguided.

I notice the general secretary of the Law Society advocates drawing our Judiciary from a broader spectrum of society as an end in itself. I have a different perspective. I say what we need to do is have excellence in the Judiciary, but nobody in the current debate, especially the Minister, Deputy Ross, is talking about the need for excellence in our Judiciary.