Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being late. I had hoped to be here from the start. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, for stepping in.

As Senators probably have outlined, this is legislation we were not perhaps expecting. I really appreciate the response and speed at which we have received support from both Houses to pass it. That one court alone had 120 cases that had to be adjourned speaks to how much we need to introduce the legislation as quickly as possible.

We are undertaking a number of reviews in the Department. On Senator Wall's point, one review deals with the role of An Garda Síochána as prosecutor. I hope to have the report in a matter of weeks. There will be a further discussion on the matter then. As the Senator will appreciate, what we are doing here is essentially restoring what we had before.

On the matter of judges, I have a quite significant body of work under way under Ms Brigid McManus, a former Secretary General in the Department of Education. The review deals with the types and numbers of judges we have. I will have an interim report in the coming weeks setting out what will most likely be the significant increase required, not only in the District Court but also in all the other courts. I will be engaging with colleagues on this and responding accordingly.

I appreciate colleagues' support in making sure this legislation can be passed as quickly as possible. It is most important that the courts and An Garda Síochána can return to operating in the way they have been.