As the Deputy is aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions and this includes the provision of information on the courts system.
I am informed by the Courts Service that, as part of its modernisation programme, it is prioritising investment in ICT infrastructure that will enhance the service provided to the public. I am further informed that it is expected that one of the results of this investment will be an enhanced statistical and data function that should facilitate the regular publication of data in respect of business before the Courts.
This is a welcome development and one which I hope will enhance the possibility for additional analysis and as a valuable input to evidence-based policy formation. I am informed that in the interim, the Courts Service is examining the feasibility of preparing useful data, on a periodic basis, using existing systems.
The Deputy may also be interested to know that the Courts Service already publishes some data in relation to road traffic at the following addresses.
Data relating to road traffic for the Circuit Criminal Court: http://courts.ie/Courts.ie/Library3.nsf/pagecurrent/1F3CEE207A7A353F802580290053EDBB?opendocument
Data relating to road traffic for the District Criminal Court:
http://www.courts.ie/Courts.ie/Library3.nsf/pagecurrent/45FC467C4F5C9F598025802500373869?opendocument
As the Deputy may be aware, the RSA also publishes a certain amount of data relating to road safety at the following address https://www.rsa.ie/en/RSA/Road-Safety/RSA-Statistics/.