Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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29. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners awaiting trial in the Special Criminal Court who have been on remand for up to one year; 1 to 1.5 years; 1.5 to 2 years; 2 to 3 years, and for more than 3 years and in each case of more than 3 years the total time on remand to date; the steps she is taking to deal with this issue and ensure speedy trials and the success to date of these measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10966/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, which includes the provision of information on the courts system.

However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that the number of prisoners awaiting trial in the Special Criminal Court who have been on remand for the time periods specified by the Deputy is as follows:

In the cases where persons are on remand for more than 3 years, the remand period varies, with periods commencing from mid 2010 to mid 2012, and the accused are not remanded in custody in respect of the charges in these cases.

Given the considerable length of time it takes for cases to come to hearing in the Special Criminal Court, together with the particular types of offences with which the Special Criminal Court is concerned, last year I sought the necessary Government approval to appoint judges to the second Special Criminal Court, thereby bringing it into existence. The second Special Criminal Court became operational on 25 April 2016 and sat for the first time on 6 May 2016. Prior to the first sitting of this court, the waiting time for the hearing of cases, indicated to be ready for trial, was 24 months. This has now been reduced to 18 months and, as the two Special Criminal Courts continue to sit, the waiting times will continue to reduce.

As the Deputy may be aware, the scheduling of court cases and the allocation of court business is, of course, a matter for the Presidents of the courts and the presiding judge who are, under the Constitution, independent in the exercise of their judicial functions. Shortly after his appointment last year, the President of the High Court made arrangements for Special Criminal Court No. 1 to sit five days per week rather than the four days that had been the case. This was possible because of the new arrangements made to deal with bail applications in the High Court. Both the Special Criminal Court No. 1 and the Special Criminal Court No. 2 now sit five days per week which will also assist in reducing the waiting times for cases to come to hearing.