Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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138. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to introduce a provision for automatic case review in instances where a person has issued proceedings for defamation but cannot secure a timely hearing date for reasons beyond the person's control, such as a backlog in the courts or obstruction by the defendant. [22621/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware the courts are, subject only to the Constitution and the law, independent in the exercise of their judicial functions and I have no role in the matter.

However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and I am informed that this question is exclusively within the control of the judiciary. The Courts Service has informed me that the waiting time for the hearing of defamation cases from the date a case is ready for hearing is typically 4 months.