Dick Spring
Ceist:63 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Justice if the Government intends to appoint an additional High Court judge.
Written Answers. - High Court Bench Complement.
Máirín Quill
Ceist:68 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Justice when an additional High Court judge will be appointed to Cork in order to deal with the inordinate backlog of cases and the resultant delay in the administration of justice.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 68 together.
The appointment of an additional High Court judge would require legislation and as I have informed the House before, I could not undertake, in answer to a parliamentary question, to outline any particular legislative proposals I might have in mind. Any such proposals would be brought before the Government for approval before being announced in the ordinary way.
The assignment of an additional High Court judge to Cork would be a matter exclusively for the President of the High Court. I understand that the President assigned two judges to Cork for two weeks last month and that he plans further assignments of this kind in April, July and October this year. The President has also made arrangements under which plaintiffs in cases which are more than two years on the Cork list may apply to have their cases transferred for an early hearing in Dublin.