James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Reforming the operation of the family justice system, to ensure that we have a more efficient and user-friendly family court system that puts the family at the centre of its work and which supports and protects victims of domestic violence, is a key commitment in Justice Plan 2022.

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to enact a Family Court Bill to create a new dedicated family court within existing courts structure and provide for court procedures that are more supportive, are faster, and promote a less adversarial resolution of disputes. This is particularly important in cases where there has been domestic violence or where there might be other reasons for a party to be vulnerable.  

To support the legislative changes proposed in the Family Courts Bill, Minister McEntee established a Family Justice Oversight Group to develop the first National Family Justice Strategy. The work of the Group was informed by a wide ranging consultation process. 

The Family Justice Strategy has nine goals and over 50 actions, with the aim of establishing a strong foundation for a future system which is more child and family-centred, which supports and protects, and which is more streamlined and user-friendly.

On 16^th November, Minister McEntee and I published the Strategy and secured Government approval for the Family Courts Bill 2022, which was published on 1st December.

In relation to waiting times, as the Deputy will be aware, management of the courts, and the courts’ operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are legally and constitutionally independent in exercising their functions.

In order to assist the Deputy, I made enquiries and am informed by the Courts Service that the latest available waiting times for the Dublin Circuit Family Court, as at 30^thSeptember, are as follows:

- For contested cases, the waiting time is 5 months;

- For non-contested cases, it is 1 month; and

- For District Court Appeals, it is 1 month.

Improving levels of judicial expertise and training in family law matters, including in cases where there is a domestic violence element, and streamlining proceedings, to make them more user-friendly, more protective, and less costly, are also key goals of the Family Courts Bill.

The Bill, which is a priority for the Government and will be progressed in the New Year, also provides a set of guiding principles to help ensure the Family Court system encourages active case management by the courts and makes the best interests of the child a primary consideration in all family law proceedings.

I’m sure the Deputy is also aware that work to reform our criminal justice system to make it more victim centred is also progressing.

Through the implementation of Supporting A Victims Journey, a number of important reforms, including in relation to training, have already been made to support and protect victims and both our Family Justice Strategy and Zero Tolerance plan will build on the progress made.