Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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2052. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the measures being taken to resolve court backlogs in Cork District Courts; the average waiting times for family law, criminal and civil proceedings at District Court level for 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42354/25]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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2053. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the measures being taken to resolve court backlogs in Cork Circuit Courts; the average waiting times for family law, criminal and civil proceedings at Circuit Court level for 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42355/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2052 and 2053 together.

The management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution. However, as Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I am committed to resourcing the Courts Service and the judiciary sufficiently to ensure timely access to justice for all citizens.

To ensure that our judiciary is resourced appropriately, 24 additional judges were appointed in 2023 on foot of the Judicial Planning Working Group report, and following an impact assessment, Government approved to increase judicial numbers by a second tranche of another 20 extra judicial posts in October 2024. The Government is committed to putting these extra 20 judges in place within 12 months and I plan to introduce legislation to increase the number of judges set in statute accordingly later this year.

As the specific matter of waiting times are an operational matter for the Courts Service, I have referred this element of the question to the Courts Service for their direct reply. The Deputy may also be aware that the Courts Service has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas at: oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie