Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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113. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department provides video link services in order that Irish citizens can give testimony in foreign court cases, without leaving Ireland, or if it can assist citizens in giving testimony by video link to foreign courts. [21018/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service. The Act provides that the Service is independent in the performance of its functions, including the provision of courthouse facilities.

Formal requests for the hearing of evidence by video conference in criminal matters can be made under the Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008. If my Department receives such a request and is satisfied that all is in order, a request is sent to the Courts Service to provide a courtroom with video-link services to facilitate the taking of evidence from a victim or witness for a criminal trial in another jurisdiction. Separately, my Department contacts the President of the District Court to request that a District Court Judge be assigned to preside over the hearing of evidence in the Irish Court.

For civil proceedings it is not necessary for the person who is giving evidence from Ireland by way of video-conference to a foreign court to do so from an Irish court room. Furthermore, if persons giving such evidence were to do so from an Irish court it would be necessary to defer or interrupt cases going through the Irish courts, thus increasing waiting times for litigation. Accordingly, it is not the practice of the Courts Service in civil matters to facilitate the giving of evidence in this manner.