Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Section 33 contains a number of separate proposals, one of which is to allow for the amendment of section 5 of the 1961 Act, which is either the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act, 1961 or the Courts (Establishment and Constitution) Act, 1961, to provide that: "A judge of the District Court who has served as such a judge for a period of not less than 2 years shall be qualified for appointment as a judge of the High Court." Then there is a reference to section 33(4) of this Bill which inserts a new section 45A. If the Senator goes down to the bottom of page 23 he will see a subsection 4, which is an insertion in the 1961 Act which is the Act governing eligibility for appointment to the bench.