Legislation is to be introduced to allow for additional judges in Irish courts where numbers are currently capped, the Department of Justice has said.
It follows Cabinet approval on Tuesday for the appointment of a further 20 judges, following 31 already put in place during the lifetime of the current Government.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, along with the Attorney General, “will work to introduce legislation to increase the number of judges” and this will be carried out on a phased basis, the Department said.
Six are to be assigned each to the District Court, Circuit Court and High Court, with two additional judges to go to the Court of Appeal. Together with those sitting on the Supreme Court, that will bring the total to 218.
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The final report of the Judicial Planning Working Group (JPWG), published in February 2023, recommended the appointment of 44 additional judges across two phases.
The JPWG was established in 2021 to bring a “more strategic focus” to judicial recruitment.
Its first phase saw 24 additional judges appointed throughout 2023, bringing the total number of extra appointments by the current Government to 31.
A department statement said efficiencies realised as part of that initial phase include a substantial reduction in the backlog of criminal summonses awaiting scheduling in the District Court; a 17 per cent increase in Circuit Court sittings; and waiting times for judicial review hearings in the High Court cut from 13 to three weeks.
“It is expected that the [eventual] rollout of body-worn cameras could lead to an increase in the number of early guilty pleas as criminals are confronted with video footage of incidents,” Ms McEntee said in announcing the appointments and other changes in the courts system.
The department said there would be a “continued focus” on the need for additional training days for judges to ensure they are “attuned to the needs of victims and equipped to deal with increasing case complexity”.
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