Judiciary plans could speed up Donegal's lengthy court waits

With lengthy wait times for court cases in Donegal, an overhaul of the judiciary could see more judges and more frequent court sittings in the county.

A recent report, published by the Judicial Planning Working Group, highlighted the long waits experienced in Donegal.

At Letterkenny District Court, there was a 20-22 week wait for summonses in 2021.

Those awaiting criminal court trials in Letterkenny had 12-18-week waits with a six-week wait for sentences.

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The civil court saw four-week waits for trials and five-week waits for appeals, while contested family law cases had six-week waits.

Those awaiting maintenance/guardianship applications had 4-8 week waits at Donegal Circuit Court and eight-week waits at Letterkenny Circuit Court.

There is a significant backlog in criminal cases, which has been exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Delays in this area have a major impact on an individual’s rights, as well as impacts on victims and all involved,” the report said.

“The Department of Justice is engaged with the Criminal Justice Agencies including the Courts Service to formulate plans to address the criminal backlogs within the justice system.

“Addressing these backlogs will require additional judges and support staff for a period though these demands may be temporary.”

The OECD has called for greater investment in the structural modernisation of case, Court and data management practices together with the upgrading of information technology to support the necessary changes.

The OECD say that such investment will lead to efficiency gains that have the potential to reduce the number of additional staff needed.

The modernising of case management systems and infrastructure could enhance the efficiency of the system.

Simon Harris, the Minister for Justice, has said that 24 new judges will be appointed this year with another 20 likely to be appointed next year.

Consideration will now be given to District and Circuit Court sittings going to five-day weeks, while Circuit Court areas will be reviewed and District Court structures will also be examined.