Justice | A Manifesto for Fairness

Manifesto launched by the Council of The Bar of Ireland

The Council of The Bar of Ireland has published Justice | A Manifesto for Fairness setting out priorities for the new Government ahead of the General Election on November 29th.

In the detailed Manifesto document, The Bar calls for a fair system for all, regardless of means, pointing in particular to the areas of civil legal aid, family law and criminal justice, as in need of significant investment, due to increasing demand.

The current low level of investment in the administration of the court system is also highlighted in the Manifesto. Despite an increase in nominal terms, investment and allocation in the justice system as a proportion of total Government spending has decreased, when compared to 2019/2020, from 4.2% to 3.2%. The shrinking level of investment is reflected in the over stretched services available to citizens seeking access to the courts, leading to significant delays and impacting on timely access to justice.

The Bar is also calling for the next Government to bring forward a legislative response to Third Party Litigation and multi-party actions which are increasingly a legal sector standard, and to move forward with a referendum on a United Patent Court for Ireland.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, Seán Guerin SC, said;