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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 Jun 2017

Vol. 955 No. 3

Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Order for Second Stage

Bill entitled an Act to establish a body to be known as an Coimisiún um Cheapacháin Bhreithiúnacha or, in the English language, the Judicial Appointments Commission; to provide for the making, through committees of that body, of recommendations in respect of appointments to certain judicial offices; to make provision for persons of a lay character, as well as judges and legal practitioners, to be members of that body and of those committees and to provide, in the case of any such committee, that the particular judges to be members of it shall include a judge serving at the level of the courts system to which the committee’s business relates; to amend the qualification requirements for appointment to judicial office; to enable, through other procedures, the making of recommendations in respect of appointments to senior judicial offices that do not fall within the remit of the foregoing body; to establish a Judicial Appointments Commission Office; to dissolve the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board; for those and other purposes to amend or repeal certain provisions of the Courts and Court Officers Act 1995 and the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act 1961 and to provide for the consequential amendment of certain other enactments; and to provide for related matters.

I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Question put and agreed to.

Before I call on the Minister to begin the debate proper, in the context of the House's consideration of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill I want to remind all Members that when debating matters relating to the Judiciary, it is important to be mindful of the principle of the separation of powers. Members of the Judiciary are independent in the performance of their duties by virtue of the Constitution and it is not in order to comment on or criticise them in any way. This is a long-standing rule of the House and I therefore request all Members who are contributing to the debate to be measured in their contributions and to uphold the principle of mutual respect between the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Judiciary. I urge them to address their remarks to the important policy proposals contained in the Bill.

It may not have been necessary to make that point but it is important to remind Members of the rules. They are all experienced politicians and I know they will observe the rules of the House. I invite the Minister to open the Second Stage debate.

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