Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 September 2023
429. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Justice if any plans are in place to deal with the continuing backlog of cases in Donegal courts that are continuing to cause significant delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41648/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be 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. Furthermore, the scheduling of individual court cases and the allocation of court business are entirely matters for the Presidents of the Courts and the presiding judges who are, under the Constitution, independent in the exercise of their judicial functions.
It is my priority, as Minister, to ensure that the courts are resourced to administer justice efficiently and effectively. This is central to ensuring there is access to justice. The Government endeavours to fill judicial vacancies at the earliest opportunity.
In order to assist the Deputy, I have made enquiries and am informed by the Courts Service that the latest available waiting times for Donegal Town District Court and Letterkenny District Court are 8 weeks or less for family law and civil hearings. It is important to note that urgent interim domestic violence applications are dealt with immediately i.e., on next sitting day. The Courts Service continue to work both locally and nationally with the Judiciary to seek opportunities to further improve access to Justice.
I can further advise that the final report of Judicial Planning Working Group was noted by Government on 21 February and highlights the importance of developing a structured system for planning and deploying judicial resources which recognises organisational interdependencies and a whole of system approach.
A first tranche of 24 additional judges were approved by Government based on the recommendations of the JPWG report. I am delighted to say as of 26th September, 21 of the 24 additional judges have been appointed. The additional appointments include 8 new District Court judges which were appointed earlier this month leaving no outstanding vacancies at District Court level.
