Judicial numbers lag behind average

IRELAND has one of the highest number of courtrooms and solicitors per capita of any country in Europe but one of the lowest levels of serving judges.

The latest annual report by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice shows that there are 187 district courts in the Republic.

It represents a rate of 4.63 courtrooms per 100,000 population — the highest rate of any country in Europe.

Ireland also has the eighth highest number of solicitors out of 47 jurisdictions with over 229 lawyers per 100,000 inhabitants.

According to the report, however, Ireland has the second lowest number of judges of any European country on a per capita basis with just 3.2 judges per 100,000 population. Only England and Wales has a lower ratio.

In contrast, the tiny principality of Monaco has 60 judges per 100,000 population.

Despite the comparatively low ratio of judges to other European countries, waiting times for cases in Ireland have continued to decline in recent years due to a combination of legislation and new measures introduced by the Courts Service.

They included the establishment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board which aims to eliminate people seeking compensation for accidents from having to access the courts.

The Courts Service pointed out that the average waiting time for murder and rape cases to come to trial has fallen from two years in 2002 to less than six months by the end of 2005.

The figures by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice also suggest that the number of people in the legal profession in the Republic might be reaching capacity as Ireland as the second highest ratio of lawyers to judges in Europe after Britain.

There are more than 71 solicitors for every member of the judiciary in the Republic — over seven times the rate of most other EU states.

The latest annual report which is based on 2004 data, ranks Ireland 20th out of 38 European countries in terms of spending on the judicial system with an average budget of around €45 per person.

Ireland also spends proportionately more than most countries on legal aid.

On average, around €12 per person is spent on providing legal aid in the Republic each year. Such expenditure ranks Ireland as seventh among 39 states

Britain allocates the biggest budget for legal aid, with an average annual expenditure of almost €60 per person.

The average amount of legal aid granted in the Republic is €1,192 per case. Only Iceland and Britain provide higher amounts.

However, the number of people in Ireland who avail of legal aid is considerably lower than most European countries at just 99 people per 100,000 population.