Vol. 520 No. 3
34 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he expects to receive the report of the judicial committee which is examining judicial conduct and ethics; if he has received any reply to the letter he sent to the chairperson of the committee arising from recent comments made by the Taxing Master (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15434/00]
59 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has received a reply from the Chief Justice to the approach he made following the recent controversial remarks of the Taxing Master (details supplied) regarding the operation of tribunals of inquiry established by the Oireachtas; the plans, if any, he has for the new judicial ethics regime to cover officers other than members of the Judiciary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15436/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 59 together.
As I informed the House in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 11 of 13 April 2000, I wrote on 21 March last to the Chief Justice, in his capacity as chairman of the judicial committee, which is examining the question of judicial conduct and ethics.
In that letter, I asked the committee to consider including in their remit the question of the accountability of those statutory principal officers of the superior courts who exercise judicial functions. There has been an exchange of correspondence between the Chief Justice and myself on this matter and the Chief Justice has informed me that he is consulting the members of the committee on the question of extending the remit of the committee and I await the outcome of these deliberations.
Meanwhile, the judicial committee is continuing with its work on the whole question of Judicial conduct and ethics. I am not, however, in a position to say when their report will be completed.
