asked the Minister for Justice the average delay between service of notice of trial and hearing of High Court action (a) Dublin and (b) Cork; and whether he has any plans to clear the backlog in Cork.
Written Answers. - High Court Hearings.
74.
I am informed that in Dublin an interval of 15 months on average elapses between the date of setting down of a personal injuries action for trial and the date of hearing. In Cork the interval is 32 months on average. As I indicated in response to a Dáil Question by the Deputy in May last, the delays in Cork are not entirely due to a shortfall in judicial resources. I am informed that the parties themselves and their legal advisers are responsible for much of the delay. In so far as judicial resources are concerned, the President of the High Court has informed me that he has arranged for two judges to sit in Cork for nine weeks during the current legal year, and for some of those weeks a third judge will sit.