The retiring President of the High Court yesterday described the delays in the courts as "a source of considerable injustice". Mr Justice Declan Costello, on his last day as President, expressed the hope that the new Courts Service would be a means of obtaining greater resources for the courts. He hoped in particular that it would lead to "badly needed" increases in staff levels.
Mr Justice Costello said the number of High Court judges had increased from 10 to 22 since he had come on the Bench. There had been a corresponding increase in the volume and complexity of the business of the High Court.
Delays in the courts, both in the administration of the offices attached to them and in dealing with listed cases, were a source of considerable injustice, he said. The delays invariably arose due to a failure to allocate sufficient resources.
He said it should be stressed that the delays in the courts offices were not due to administrative lethargy. It should be widely known not only that the standard of administrative efficiency of the officers involved was outstandingly high but that their dedication to their responsibilities was exemplary.
Mr Justice Costello said he knew it was appreciated by those who would be in charge of the new Courts Service that it was important to treat the High Court as an autonomous administrative unit, as the Department had done in the past, and that its autonomy be respected and maintained.
Tributes to the retiring judge were paid by the Attorney General, Mr David Byrne SC; the chairman of the Bar Council, Mr John McMenamin; the president of the Law Society, Mr Laurence Shields; and by Mr Brendan Reidy, on behalf of the High Court registrars.
Mr Justice Costello is a former Fine Gael TD and attorney general and is the son of the former Taoiseach, Mr John A. Costello.
Born in 1926, he was elected to the Dail at the age of 25 in the Dublin North West constituency and was later a TD in Dublin South West. He was attorney general from 1973 until 1977, when he was appointed a High Court judge. He was appointed President of the High Court in early 1995 following the resignation of Mr Harry Whelehan.
Mr Justice Costello had been acting President for three years while the then president, Mr Justice Hamilton, was chairman of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the Beef Processing Industry.