I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. The Minister of State may or may not be aware – I appreciate that this is not his area of responsibility – that in the High Court last week Mr. Justice Kelly, who manages the list of non-jury and judicial review cases, stated that a serious situation had developed in respect of delays because of a shortage of judges. It is time to call for a review of this area, particularly in respect of the administration of the courts. The new Courts Service has been put in place but dif ficulties still obtain throughout the court system, particularly in relation to the High Court.
Mr. Justice Kelly pointed out that the former President of the High Court, Mr. Justice Morris, had retired, and that Mr. Justice Quirke and Mr. Justice Smith were involved in dealing with other matters and they had not been replaced. He also highlighted the fact that another judge is dealing almost exclusively with cases, many of which have yet to be heard, involving refugees. Mr. Justice O'Neill who was involved in the hepatitis C tribunal advised barristers and solicitors that there are no hearing dates available for many cases due to come on stream from mid-January onwards. This is a deplorable situation which must be reviewed. The Minister should make the necessary contacts with the courts and the Bar Council to discuss how best this situation can be resolved.
There is a clear need for the appointment of extra judges. Various judges have been seconded to other areas – I compliment Ms Justice Lindsay for her work on the Lindsay tribunal, a tribunal that has received fewer headlines than others given the details involved, the families who have suffered, the people who died. Her report is awaited and will be discussed on another day.
A long serving member of the District Court, who did a great deal for the administration of justice at the lower end of the spectrum, Mr. Justice Sean Delap, passed away last weekend. I pay tribute to him and other members of the Judiciary who have given long service in a variety of capacities. Many cases have been delayed due to the unavailability of judges. There is a clear case for the appointment of extra judges and a need to undertake an overall review of the High Courts and District Courts. We must face up to this problem. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Attorney General and the Government must look at this situation in consultation with the relevant authorities to see how best the problem can be addressed with a view to shortening the delays in the administration of justice.