Desmond J. O'Malley
Question:36 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Justice the number of High Court and Circuit Court judges she will appoint in 1995 in view of the delays in the courts system. [2821/95]
Written Answers. - Judicial Appointments.
I am very concerned by the extent of the delays in the hearing of cases in the courts. It was to address these delays that the previous Government gave approval for the appointment of two additional judges to the High Court, seven additional judges to the Circuit Court and five additional judges to the District Court. The legislative provisions to enable these appointments to be made were to have been contained in the Courts and Court Officers Bill, 1994. Under our Programme for Government we are committed to reviewing the provisions of this Bill to ensure that the measures it contains will adequately address the need to tackle the backlog of cases to be heard in all the courts.
This review is being carried out at present and it will not be possible for me to indicate the number of additional judges to be appointed until this review is completed. The review is, however, receiving urgent attention and I hope to be in a position to give a firm indication of my plans in this regard in the near future.