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

I too acknowledge Councillor White and Deputy Coveney. I hope they have a good trip.

I am absolutely cognisant of why the Senator is opposing the section but obviously, as I have clearly stated, the intention is not that we would send everybody to the District Court. I am very conscious of the need to respect the full and original jurisdiction of the High Court on all matters but I am also very conscious of the need to ensure that cases are dealt with at the most appropriate level. The Senator is right that not every case needs a full and lengthy written statement but there some cases that will need one and that is why ensuring that the jurisdiction applies to the District, Circuit and High Courts does not automatically mean that every case will start in the District Court and that is certainly not my intention. There are certainly cases that are straightforward and not complex that can be decided on with little cost to those involved and that is really the objective here.

In terms of the €1 million figure that was put on it, a farm of land and a house in any part of the country might be worth €1 million but that does not mean that a person has €1 million in cash or has access to that. Obviously, if one looks at house prices in certain parts of Dublin, what might seem like modest properties could still cost up to €1 million. It is to make sure that people are not negatively impacted because of where they are living or the cost of the property or land they own.

Again, I will bring forward amendments to make it absolutely clear that it is not the case that every family law matter will start in the District Court. The more complex cases will be able to start in the High Court, as is the case now. This is being brought forward to make sure we have a family justice system that works for everybody, for those involved in the more complex cases but also those involved in cases that are more straightforward and can be dealt more appropriately at District Court level. The District Court should be able, once we have these systems up and running with specialist judges and specialist court sittings dealing only with family law, to deal with these in a quick and efficient manner.