Bill to set up courts agency is published

A bill setting up an independent agency to manage the State's courts system has been published by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue.

Mr O'Donoghue said last night that he hoped the Bill would pass through the Oireachtas before Christmas and that the agency would be in place by the middle of next year.

"A single cohesive structure to manage the courts is the only feasible approach to enable the system to meet the demands arising from the large volume of business that is nowadays coming before the courts," he said. "The current structure is dispersed between several court offices and the Department. While that system has served us well in the past, it is no longer adequate to meet today's needs."

Under the Courts Service Bill, the agency will be chaired by the Chief Justice, or a judge of the Supreme Court nominated in his or her place.

It will have a chief executive, and will be made up of members of the judiciary, representatives of legal practitioners, and other interested organisations. While its principal role will be the management of the courts, it will also have responsibility for providing information and facilities to the public and maintaining court buildings. A transitional board will be established as soon as the Bill is passed.

Mr O'Donoghue said that the minister of the day would be accountable to the Dail for the agency's activities, as was the case under the existing system of courts administration. The publication of the Bill, he said, was a historic occasion, signalling the most significant development ever in the administration of justice through the courts system.

"For over 70 years, the State and the people of this State have been well-served by a courts system which, while respecting its constitutional independence, operated within traditional civil service structure," he added.

"It is now time to move on. While the constitutional independence of the courts in the exercise of their judicial functions will, of course, be maintained, the Bill will provide for the administration of justice under new systems and structures, operating under a board which is more in tune with the requirements of society as we head to the new millennium."

Mr O'Donoghue paid tribute to Mrs Justice Susan Denham, the chairwoman, and the working group which had recommended that steps be taken to legislate for a new courts service.