Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is a point of interest because I agree completely with the Minister that it would be a mistake to say that the Supreme Court is off limits to a direct non-judicial appointment. In general terms, most people and politicians would agree that it is probably good that the Supreme Court consists to a large extent of people who have judicial experience rather than people who come in with no judicial experience other than as an advocate or whatever. As the Minister has said, and I completely agree with him, there have been some stellar appointments directly from the practising legal profession to the Supreme Court without any intermediate judicial office. Indeed, there is such a person there now. Nobody whom I would respect could query the wisdom of making such an appointment in the circumstances that have happened in the past. I do not want to go too far-----