Pádraig MacLochlainn
Question:143. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when she will advance the long-awaited Judicial Council Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas. [35308/15]
View answerTuesday, 20 October 2015
Questions (143)
Written answers
The Deputy will be aware from replies to previous PQs that the Programme for Government undertakes to “legislate to establish a Judicial Council, with lay representation, to provide an effective mechanism for dealing with complaints against judges". This commitment is being pursued by way of the proposed Judicial Council Bill which will provide for the establishment of a Judicial Council and Board of that Council to promote excellence and high standards of conduct by judges. In addition, the proposed Bill will provide for the establishment of a Judicial Conduct Committee, the membership of which will include lay persons, to facilitate the investigation of allegations of judicial misconduct.
The Government Legislative Programme which was published on 22 September includes the Judicial Council Bill amongst those Bills which are expected to be published in the period from the commencement of the current Dail session to the start of the next session. My Department is working closely with the Office of the Attorney General to bring the Bill to a timely conclusion and I remain committed to advancing this legislation within a speedy timeframe.