Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 Nov 2000

Vol. 525 No. 2

Written Answers. - Judicial Appointments.

Alan Shatter

Question:

789 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons appointed to the District Court during the period of office of the present Government; if he will name the persons so appointed; and if he will state, in relation to those appointed, the District Judges on whose behalf he received representations supporting their appointment to the District Court prior to the Government's formal nomination of their names to the President for appointment to that court. [24191/00]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue):

Since this Government came into office, there have been 11 appointments to the District Court. These appointments are a matter of public record.

As I stated in reply to a parliamentary question on 5 October last, I have received over 40 representations from Members of the Oireachtas in respect of judicial appointments. Eight persons, on whose behalf representations were made, were subsequently appointed, all to the District Court Bench.

I am sure that the Deputy will agree that it goes beyond the protocol of this House to name individual people who have been the subject of ministerial representations. However, the most important point is that there could well be cases where the recommendations were made without the knowledge of the person involved. Accordingly, it would be grossly unfair to provide the details of these representations and thus provoke possible misguided speculation in respect of members of the Judiciary.

In any event, again referring back to the reply I gave on 5 October, these representations are not particularly relevant because it has been the practice of this Government and indeed the previous Government to make appointments solely from the list submitted by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board as provided for under the Courts and Court Officers Act, 1995.