Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

113. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the current legal status regarding broadcasting of court proceedings and if there are proposals to advance such broadcasting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57582/25]

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

As the Deputy will appreciate, management of the courts is the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and the Constitution.

Broadcasting of Irish court proceedings is currently limited to pilot programs and specific cases, primarily in the Supreme Court, which began broadcasting judgments in 2017. The legal status of recording and broadcasting in the Supreme Court is provided for under section 7(7) of the Courts (Supplemental) Provisions Act 1961. Practice Direction SC24, concerning the Recording and Broadcasting of Supreme Court Proceedings, was issued by the Chief Justice on 7 October 2025.

The decision of the Supreme Court to make available video recordings of its proceedings is part of the Court’s commitment to open justice and is consistent with the constitutional requirement that justice be administered in public, with such exceptions as are prescribed by law.

The Supreme Court, supported by the Courts Service, has recently begun to make available video recordings of selected proceedings of the court through the Supreme Court’s website. The purpose of this initiative is to enhance access to court proceedings and to inform and educate the public in relation to cases heard before the Supreme Court, which are cases of general public importance or cases where the interests of justice warrant an appeal to the Court. An additional purpose is to assist media who are unable to personally attend judicial proceedings to fairly and accurately report on the proceedings. It also aims to allow universities and legal professional training bodies to access recordings of Supreme Court proceedings for educational purposes.

There are no plans at present to broadcast or release recordings of proceedings in any other courts. Any decision in this regard will have regard to the experience of the initiative in the Supreme Court.