Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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336. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the progress of the family courts Bill, including its expected passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas. [39504/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government contains a commitment to enact a Family Court Bill to create a new dedicated Family Court within the existing court structure and to provide for court procedures that support a less adversarial resolution of disputes.

In September, the Government approved the drafting of a Family Court Bill to provide for the establishment of a District Family Court, a Circuit Family Court and a Family High Court as divisions within the existing court structures.

In the preparation of the General Scheme, account has been taken of the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality on the Reform of the Family Law System, published in October 2019.

The Family Court Bill will be a key element of the development of a more efficient and user-friendly family court system that puts families at the centre of its activities, provides access to specialist supports and encourages the use of alternative dispute resolution in family law proceedings. The development of sensible, comprehensive and sensitive family law procedures, particularly for vulnerable families, will be central to the new system.

The publication of the General Scheme is a first step in an ongoing process of improving how people are able to resolve family-based problems that require a legal solution. The overall aim is to change the culture so that the focus of the family justice system meets the complex needs of people who need help with family justice issues.

The General Scheme of the Family Court Bill has been referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting and to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice for pre-legislative scrutiny. It is not possible at this stage to indicate when the Bill is likely to be published or to predict the timeframe for the legislative process with regard to the Bill after its publication.