Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 373: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress that has been made on the issue of reforming the prosecution and judicial case management systems in order to reduce the number of gardaí unnecessarily detained in the courts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32865/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will appreciate that a significant amount of Garda time has to be devoted to court duties. In that context specific measures have been put in place by the Garda authorities, and in legislation (including the Courts and Court Officers Act 2009), to minimise the extent to which Garda members have to attend in court. Following a recent detailed review of the procedures involved, the Garda Commissioner is making arrangements to implement a comprehensive set of measures to reduce the amount of time Garda members spend in court. These measures include the expansion of the court presenter system to all parts of the country and overall they are designed to ensure that Garda personnel are not unnecessarily tied up in court but rather are available for policing duties.

These measures are, of course, subject to the overall requirements of justice and judicial supervision. In addition, following on a number of reviews, the Chief Justice has recently agreed to my proposal to establish two Working Groups, which include judges from the relevant jurisdictions, to look at the operations of the Circuit and District courts with a view to identifying additional efficiencies to benefit the justice sector and how best these could be implemented in light of current financial circumstances.