Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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235. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of court hearings that took place on a monthly basis throughout each Circuit Court regarding house repossessions in 2016, 2017, and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [5400/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, 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 include 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 provided the following table with details of County Registrar court sitting days for 2016, 2017 and to the end of January 2018 in respect of sittings where possession applications were scheduled:

The Courts Service has advised that those sittings marked * relate to sitting days specifically designated for the hearing of possession applications. All other sittings included in the table relate to the normal County Registrars motions lists, which would deal with all County Registrar business and possession cases. In many instances the majority of matters before such courts would relate to possession cases. 

The Courts Service has also advised that the Circuit Civil Court presided over by a Judge of the Circuit Court would deal with possession cases transferred from the County Registrars Court lists to the Circuit Court. Such possession cases would be dealt with during the normal course of civil business at such sittings in conjunction with other business. Special sitting days of the Circuit Court to deal with possession applications are rare.