Top justice says courts need more new judges

A High Court judge has appealed for the appointment of more judges, saying numbers here are “rock bottom” versus the rest of Europe and much of the rest of the world and are endangering the proper administration of justice.

Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said the low numbers — seven times fewer than the EU average — meant delays that threatened the right to a hearing within a reasonable time.

“A hearing within a reasonable time is only possible if there are enough judges, relative to the amount of litigation being undertaken, to allow capacity in the system to deal with all cases and appeals promptly,” he said.