I would like to thank the Minister for his comments in regard to Senator O'Donovan and myself and I thank Senator O'Donovan also for his very kind remarks. It is most important that the Minister would consider reviewing and increasing the number of judges for the future and the level of staffing also should be urgently examined. I do not want to go over the debate again but it is not good enough to suggest that it may not be necessary to provide any extra staffing. It is quite clear that the Circuit and District Courts will now have a very heavy workload and I think that the Minister, being a reasonable man would agree that the level of staffing will have to be examined.
I welcome his comments regarding the need for back-up services for judges but I think he will appreciate that the situation is very bad at present. Judges are very patient people when one considers that only the Chief Justice and the President of the High Court currently have full-time secretaries. The question of back-up service facilities for judges will have to be examined, especially if we want, as Senator O'Donovan has indicated, judges to travel in circuit and indeed to become High Court judges in Cork, Limerick or elsewhere. I urge the Minister to examine these matters.
