Vol. 409 No. 5
6 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Justice the progress which has been made towards meeting the commitment given in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress that he would investigate, in consultation with other Ministers, the feasibility of improving procedures for dealing with disputes involving small amounts of money.
The investigation promised in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress into the feasibility of introducing improved procedures for dealing with disputes involving small amounts of money is proceeding well and I hope that it will be completed shortly.
Would the Minister of State, who has informed us that the investigation is proceeding well, elaborate and give us a broad outline of what is envisaged?
As Deputy McCartan is aware, the District Court deals with disputes such as this. We are now considering whether we should depart from this system. The matter is complex and is being dealt with aggressively at present. We are doing what we can to expedite the conclusions and they will be announced as soon as we have them.
Is the Minister of State aware that it was the Government who made this commitment in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress? Surely, they must have had some idea of what they had in mind when they made that promise.
If I was to reveal some of the conclusions I would prejudice the work being done.
Give us a hint.
I am not in a position to do so.
Why are you a Minister of State then?
I have certain responsibilities. What I am saying is that we are working on the matter and trying to make progress as quickly as possible. If that does not amount to a commitment I do not know what does.
You made the commitment.
We did and we will honour it as soon as we can.
Since he is not in a position to divulge what they had in mind when they made this promise, can the Minister of State outline the timescale within which we can expect the findings of the investigation, which he said is proceeding, will be published? Second, is he aware that the Liability for Defective Products Bill, which is being debated in the House today, does not deal with small claims, £350 and under, and for this reason the matter is all the more urgent?
I agree that the matter is urgent. All I can say is that we will seek to make progress as quickly as we can. I hope we will deliver very quickly.
What does that mean?
Soon.
I do not know how the Minister of State gets away with it.
Would the Minister of State agree that the general public are dissatisfied that there is no small claims court? Second, can he reassure us that the matter is not being held up by vested interests in the legal profession?
Hear, hear.
I want to reassure Deputy Garland and the House that we are still considering appropriate procedures and that we will make an announcement on the matter when we have completed our deliberations. While there are some people who feel that there should be such a court, I do not think that there is a general demand for one.
The idea that we should have a small claims court is not a complex one.
Fine Gael proposed this. It is quite simple.
I have no comment to make.
I notice that.
