Irish Examiner view: Shortage of judges may exacerbate logjam due to legal aid dispute

European Commission data shows that Ireland has the lowest number of judges per capita in the EU — just 25% of the EU average

As the 'Irish Examiner' reported yesterday, the EU Justice Scoreboard also shows that government expenditure on law courts — as a percentage of GDP — is lower in Ireland than in any other EU country. Stock picture: Larry Cummins 

The dispute between justice minister Jim O’Callaghan and solicitors over reform of the criminal legal aid system has put the workings of our courts in the spotlight in recent weeks.

The minister cited delays in court proceedings and inefficiencies as primary reasons for the changes introduced at the start of this month, when a one-off flat fee replaced the traditional fee-per-appearance system for solicitors working under the criminal legal aid scheme.