Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

19. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his Department will examine the current waitlists for Naas courthouse and assign more staff to deal with the current backlog of cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36664/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As Minister, it is my priority to ensure that the courts are adequately resourced to administer justice efficiently and effectively.

This past year marks the first full calendar year of supporting a significantly enlarged judiciary and court operations in the wake of the 2023 publication of the report of the Judicial Planning Working Group (JPWG) and the appointment of 24 additional judges.

Following an impact assessment of the first phase of judicial appointments following the publication of the Judicial Planning Working Group Report, Government approval was secured, on 22 October 2024, to increase judicial numbers by a further 20 judges to meet the growing demands on the justice system and to further reduce long waiting times across the courts. This would involve two additional judges for the Court of Appeal and six each for the High, Circuit and District Courts. As outlined in the current Programme for Government, this Government is committed to putting these extra 20 judges in place within 12 months.

It is my intention to request the Judicial Appointments Commission to initiate the selection processes for these judges later this year. Taken together, these two sets of appointments represent an increase of approximately 25% in the number of Judges in Ireland.

This year, the Courts Service was allocated a budget of over €199.8 million, with additional funding allocated to provide for the recruitment of additional staff to support an expanding Judiciary and to bolster modernisation measures.

Regarding Naas Courthouse, my officials have made enquiries of the Courts Service regarding current waitlists.

The average District Court waiting times in District 25, which includes Naas and Athy courthouses are as follows:

The average waiting times per business case in Naas Circuit Court, exclusively, are as follows:

With regards staffing at Naas courthouse, as Minister, I have no role in such operational matters of the courts but I am informed that there are 23 staff at present, 21 of which are full-time.

I am further informed that while the Naas Office has had staff vacancies in the past, those vacancies, with the exception of two remaining Clerical Officer vacancies, have now been filled due to direct recruitment/local competitions and staff training is ongoing.