Minister bids to ease Circuit Court workload

Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has signed in to legislation new rules to ease the workload of the Circuit Court system.

The measures, which come in to effect next month, will make it cheaper and quicker to begin family law cases.

Under the new arrangements, the County Registrar will be assigned greater powers to process pre-trial applications.

This is designed to relieve Circuit Court judges of the duty, freeing them up for trial work.

Announcing the changes, the Minister said: “These new rules are in addition to a number of important changes that have taken place in recent times in the rules of practice and procedure in family law in the Circuit Court. I would like to pay tribute to the Circuit Court Rules Committee for the initiatives they have taken in these areas.”