Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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16. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will outline the progress on the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, and specifically, the legislation to allow increased use of video link by members of An Garda Síochána in court proceedings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54047/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Among other provisions, the General Scheme of the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 provides a comprehensive enabling basis for remote hearings in criminal proceedings and in international co-operation proceedings, such as those under the European Arrest Warrant procedure and the Extradition Act 1965.

At present, substantial amounts of Garda time and resources which could otherwise be devoted to core policing activity are instead consumed by travelling to and from, and waiting around in, the courts – whether this arises from having to convey persons in their custody to the court, or from attending court in person to give evidence. While decisions on remote hearings will rest with the courts, one of the many benefits that such hearings can deliver is the time and expense they can save for An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service, and indeed for other participants in the proceedings.

These proposals build on existing Irish law, in particular the Criminal Evidence Act 1992 as amended, under which a witness in any criminal proceedings may give evidence remotely with the leave of the court, and the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2020 Act, which provides for video-link participation by persons in custody in various types of criminal and international co-operation hearings and also enables the remote hearing of criminal appeals in the Superior Courts as well as all forms of civil proceedings.

The Bill is prioritised for publication under the Government’s autumn legislative programme and was the subject of a pre-legislative scrutiny hearing by the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration on 30 September. I look forward to receiving the Committee’s scrutiny report and I hope to bring the finalised Bill to Government as soon as possible for approval to publish.

In line with the provisions outlined in this Bill to improve Courts efficiencies, the Courts Service is progressing an ambitious 10-year Modernisation Programme to deliver digitally enabled services designed around the user. This programme commenced in 2020 with the approval of a multiyear business plan and is currently in the third of its four implementation phases, with the fourth phase scheduled to commence in 2026.

Relevant key initiatives include the roll-out of video-link and technologically-enabled courtrooms. The Courts Service has continued the expansion of these technologically-enabled courtrooms, which provide remote courts and digital evidence display functionality. Video technology is now available in 167 courtrooms, increased from 46 at the start of 2020.