- Minister hails historic day for the Irish judiciary
- Commencement order is signed at the Four Courts in the presence of the Chief Justice
The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, has signed the commencement order for the Judicial Council Act, allowing the Council to formally come into being.
The establishment of a Judicial Council is a major landmark development in the history of the Irish judiciary, formalising a number of very important judicial functions. These include:
-Provision for the continuing education of judges through the Judicial Studies Committee
-The creation of Guidelines for awards in Personal Injuries cases through the Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee
-The creation of Sentencing Guidelines through the Sentencing Guidelines Committee
-The creation of a judicial code of conduct and the introduction of mechanisms for dealing with complaints
The first full meeting of the Judicial Council will take place in the first week in February. However, aspects of the Council’s work have already been actioned. The Chief Justice, last month, appointed a Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee designate, chaired by Ms. Justice Mary Irvine, to allow it to commence preparatory work.
Since the passing of the Act, officials in the Department of Justice and Equality have been working closely with the Courts Service to lay the groundwork for the Council through the provision of an Interim Secretary and the allocation of a budget of €0.25m in 2019 and €1.5 million in 2020.
Minister Flanagan said:
I am a longstanding supporter of the creation of a Judicial Council and it is a great personal privilege for me, as Minister for Justice and Equality, to have introduced this important legislation. Ireland has been particularly fortunate in the high quality of its judges and I know the Council will play a critical role in maintaining public confidence in our judiciary and maintaining the high standards of excellence for which our judiciary is renowned.
I want to especially acknowledge the work of the Chief Justice, Frank Clarke, in moving very quickly to ensure that the Judicial Council could hit the ground running once I signed the formal Commencement Order. Great credit is due to him and, indeed, to his predecessor, Ms. Justice Susan Denham, who did so much to advance support for the creation of the Judicial Council.
I also want to acknowledge the widespread support on all sides in the Houses of the Oireachtas for the Judicial Council Act. I believe the Judicial Council will be of great benefit to all the people of Ireland, given the exceptionally important role of the Judicial branch of Government in all of our daily lives.