Topics / Courts Service

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

Courts Service

125 questions from 49 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 20 October 2026.

125
questions
123 written, 2 oral
49
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
3
departments asked

Questions per month

The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.

Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
MonthQuestions
January 20251
February 20252
March 20251
April 20259
May 20253
June 20257
July 202510
August 20250
September 20254
October 20256
November 202516
December 20255
January 202614
February 20265
March 20265
April 20263
May 202615
June 20261
July 202612
August 20260
September 20262
October 20264

Who asks, by party

The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.

  • 100% RDR1 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Aontú3 from 2 TDs · 2 seats today
  • Fianna Fáil34 from 12 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael20 from 7 TDs · 38 seats today
  • Green Party3 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Independent11 from 5 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland3 from 1 TD · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party20 from 6 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity2 from 1 TD · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin19 from 8 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 15
  2. 13
  3. 12
  4. 10
  5. 6
  6. 5
  7. 3
  8. 3

Asked of

Debated under the same heading

Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.

The questions

Marie Sherlock Written 20 Oct 2026 · to Justice
655. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration when his Department expects to have the roles of chief assessor and court delays assessors filled and in place; and can he commit to making operational the Court Proceedings (Delays) Act 2024 as soon as such personnel are in place. [73599/26]
Brian Stanley Written 7 Oct 2026 · to Justice
45. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the status of the provision of a new court house in Portlaoise; the stage is it currently at; and the progress made to date. [70384/26]
William Aird Written 7 Oct 2026 · to Justice
79. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the progress that has been made in securing capital funding for the construction of a new courthouse in Portlaoise; and when funding will be allocated and construction is expected to commence. [69776/26]
Pat the Cope Gallagher Written 6 Oct 2026 · to Public Expenditure
160. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide a progress report on the condition of Donegal Courthouse; if work is to commence on the structure bringing it up to the standard in order that the court sittings may return; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69983/26]
Michael Murphy Written 16 Sep 2026 · to Justice
840. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current position regarding the former provision of court sittings in Tipperary Town; whether the Courts Service has considered the restoration of court sittings in the town; and the criteria which would have to be satisfied for their restoration. [64572/26]
Michael Murphy Written 16 Sep 2026 · to Justice
841. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the capital investment undertaken at Carrick-on-Suir and Cashel courthouses in each of the past ten years; the works currently planned for each courthouse; whether either building has been assessed for refurbishment or redevelopment; and the estimated cost of identified works. [64571/26]
Matt Carthy Written 16 Jul 2026 · to Justice
430. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the additional funding sought by the Courts Service under the most recent Estimates process; the amount ultimately allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54673/26]
Matt Carthy Written 14 Jul 2026 · to Justice
563. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has conducted an assessment of the cost of establishing an integrated information-sharing system between An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service to ensure that courts have access to accurate and up-to-date information when making bail decisions; if he will provide details of the estimated capital and ongoing cos…
Matt Carthy Written 14 Jul 2026 · to Justice
564. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether funding has been allocated, or is proposed to be allocated, for the development of a digital information-sharing system between An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service; the amount of funding identified for this purpose; the anticipated timeline for implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53350/26]
Matt Carthy Written 14 Jul 2026 · to Justice
565. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has examined the feasibility of introducing an information-sharing system between An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service to support bail decision-making; whether comparable systems operating in other jurisdictions have been considered; if he will provide details of the estimated costs associated with establishi…
Pádraig O'Sullivan Written 7 Jul 2026 · to Justice
566. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has collected or analysed data on the reasons for adjournments in District Court criminal legal aid cases, including adjournments arising from disclosure, DPP directions, forensic reports, probation reports, psychiatric assessments, interpreter availability, court-list pressures or other prosecution-side o…
Pádraig O'Sullivan Written 7 Jul 2026 · to Justice
567. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in relation to the new District Court criminal legal aid fee model, which replaces the previous payment of approximately €240 for a first appearance and €60 for each subsequent appearance with a flat fee of €520 per defendant, the assessment that has been carried out of the impact of this change on complex or longer-running case…
Pádraig O'Sullivan Written 7 Jul 2026 · to Justice
568. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the way in which the new District Court criminal legal aid fee model is expected to address the rise in District Court criminal legal aid expenditure from approximately €19 million in 2015 to €37 million in 2024; the projected savings that are expected from the new model; whether these projections have been shared with the Law S…
Pádraig O'Sullivan Written 7 Jul 2026 · to Justice
569. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has analysed the extent to which repeated appearances in District Court criminal legal aid cases arises from defence-side conduct as opposed to prosecution-side or system factors, including disclosure, DPP directions, forensic reports, probation reports, psychiatric assessments, interpreter availability or…
Carol Nolan Written 7 Jul 2026 · to Justice
570. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the rationale underpinning the proposed introduction of a flat-fee model for payments under the criminal legal aid scheme in the District Court; the evidence base used to support the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51249/26]
Carol Nolan Written 7 Jul 2026 · to Justice
571. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will provide a detailed assessment of how the proposed flat-fee model for criminal legal aid will ensure that access to justice is not undermined for defendants with complex or vulnerable circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51250/26]
Carol Nolan Written 7 Jul 2026 · to Justice
572. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the projected impact of the proposed flat-fee model on the availability of experienced criminal law practitioners willing to undertake legal aid work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51251/26]
Carol Nolan Written 7 Jul 2026 · to Justice
573. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated savings expected to arise from the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme; the methodology used to calculate these savings; whether any assessment has been carried out on potential cost increases elsewhere in the criminal justice system as a result of the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.…
Carol Nolan Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Justice
683. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his attention has been drawn to the significant number of High Court cases which are awaiting judgments for periods in excess of two years; if he receives updates on such matters from the Courts Service; and to outline the contents of any such recent reports. [45529/26]
Peadar Tóibín Written 21 May 2026 · to Justice
284. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his plans to reform the court system application process and stop it being used as a tool of abuse (details supplied) [38446/26]
Paul Lawless Written 19 May 2026 · to Health
1309. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the supports available for individuals requiring court-related psychological reports or complex case management in Mayo and Galway; whether alternative providers have been identified to replace the role of a service (details supplied) in such cases; and if she will outline any gaps in service provision identified following the redundancies. [37917/26]
Michael Murphy Written 12 May 2026 · to Justice
793. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will review the operation of the court fees regime under S.I. No. 492 of 2014 to ensure that fees do not act as a barrier to individuals seeking to vindicate their constitutional rights in the Superior Courts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34247/26]
Pádraig O'Sullivan Written 6 May 2026 · to Justice
635. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the rationale for deferring the restoration of the final 8% of District Court criminal legal aid fees until 1 July 2026; whether he will consider bringing forward this restoration in light of concerns raised by the Bar of Ireland regarding the impact on access to justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32500/26]
Pádraig O'Sullivan Written 6 May 2026 · to Justice
636. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has assessed the impact that the deferral of District Court fee restoration is having on the availability of experienced barristers willing to take on criminal legal aid work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32501/26]
Pádraig O'Sullivan Written 6 May 2026 · to Justice
637. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the timeline for the substantive review of District Court fees announced by his Department; the terms of reference for that review; the stakeholders being consulted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32502/26]