Vol. 419 No. 9
85 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Justice the number of cases at present awaiting hearing in the High Court in (a) Cork, (b) Dublin, (c) Limerick and (d) Waterford; if he has any plans to reduce the waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The statistics requested by the Deputy are not available and could only be complied by the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of staff time which could not be justified at this time. Court statistics are complied on the basis of the legal year which ends in July. The number of cases awaiting hearing in the High Court at 31 July 1991 in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford is as follows: Dublin, 7,849; Cork, 2,037; Limerick, 1,697; Waterford, 218.
As the Deputy will appreciate the listing of cases for hearing in the High Court and the deployment of judicial resources is a matter for the President of the High Court and is one in which I have no function.
I am aware however, of the importance of providing an efficient and effective Courts Service. A number of measures have been taken to alleviate delays in the High Court which includes the appointment of two additional High Court Judges in October 1991; the reconstruction in the Morgan Place Wing of the Four Courts, which is now underway, and which will make available three additional Courtrooms later this year; and the computerisation of the Central Office of the High Court. A suite of computer programmes are under test at present for the Central Office, a feature of which highlights areas of delay, and this system will come into operation over the next few months.
