Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join the Acting Chairman in welcoming Deputy Feighan and his colleagues from the House of Lords, which I understand is a place he aspires to be himself someday. I also welcome the students from Greystones. I hope they enjoy their visit to the Seanad, the Dáil and Leinster House.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, to the House. I am taking this slot on behalf of my colleague, Senator Horkan, our spokesperson on justice, who is unavoidably detained. I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive outline of the Bill. I do not intend to go back into it in any great detail. While the Bill is mostly administrative in nature, and the amendments may appear to be minor, they also make important changes. These include court-related amendments that will facilitate the centralisation and automation of certain court offices and processes. I understand these are parts of measures the Department of Justice continues to introduce that will improve access to justice and modernise our court system.

In particular, the Bill will help to modernise many of the areas around the administration of the courts. This will have a real impact because, as we know, delays in the court system cause great stress to people. In that regard, I am aware that there are long waiting lists for cases to be heard in the District Court in many areas. I welcome the recent announcement by the Minister that he intends to appoint a number of additional judges. With regard to the District Courts as they currently operate, during Covid-19, anybody who was summonsed to appear before the District Court had to stand outside and wait to be called in. That was understandable; the process had to continue and the judicial system had to operate. Has it returned to normality? Quite recently, I had occasion to go to the court myself when I was charged with allegedly speeding, which I proved I was not.