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Chief Justice Susan Denham. Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Levels of activity in courts 'overwhelming' and 'unsustainable' - Chief Justice

Susan Denham said failure to address the problems posed by Ireland’s appeal court system may be “damaging to Irish society and the economy”.

THE CHIEF JUSTICE Susan Denham has said that the levels of business and appeals before the courts are “overwhelming” and without reform, there will be further delays.

Denham was speaking yesterday at a seminar on the need for a Court of Appeal at the Law Society in Dublin.

She said a failure to address the problems posed by Ireland’s appeal court system may be “damaging to Irish society and the economy”.

The current situation in the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeal is unsustainable, it is untenable, it cannot be defended – an appeal certified as ready now is in danger of not being given a date until mid 2017, effectively a four and a half year waiting time. This waiting period is increasing as a result of the necessity to give dates to an increasing number of priority appeals.

The Chief Justice added that the previous practice of listing shorter appeals on a Friday has largely had to be discontinued as a result of “the burden of the increased motion list”.

Denham said that the structure of the superior courts in Ireland was not designed to cope with “the volume and complexity of the litigation” coming before them courts daily in the 21st century.

Speedy resolution of disputes is important in a successful economy. In particular, at this time, there are many commercial cases before the courts. While there is a specialist Commercial Court in the High Court, with its own case management rules, an appeal comes to the general list in the Supreme Court unless urgency can be illustrated, in which case it goes to the priority list.

The Chief Justice said that a Court of Appeal, which all other common law countries have, needs to be established to address these delays.

Read: Supreme Court adjourns promissory note appeal as TDs seek to join case>
Read: Public to be given more info on sentencing in Irish courts>

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34 Comments
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    Mute Richard Sheehy
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    Aug 8th 2012, 2:56 PM

    The machine in Kilkenny was used JUST 3 times since 2006?

    3 times seems to me to completely justify their use.

    125
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    Mute Seán Cafferkey
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    Aug 8th 2012, 2:54 PM

    You mean they don’t have it already? They should. Especially in rural areas where in most cases the Gardaí are the first people on the scene

    68
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    Mute Aarum
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    Aug 8th 2012, 5:20 PM

    News have said that Gardai have shabby 300,000 + kilometre squad cars, wage cuts, shabby uniforms who’s guna pay for defib machines?!

    62
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    Mute Irish Patriot
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    Aug 8th 2012, 2:47 PM

    Brilliant Idea.

    67
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    Mute gingerman
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    Aug 8th 2012, 2:57 PM

    Won’t taser guns achieve the same end?

    54
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    Mute pagan
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    Aug 8th 2012, 3:29 PM

    The airport police in Dublin are fully trained to use defibrillators and they and the airport fire service have been awarded by the American heart foundation for the amount of lives they have saved using defebs.

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    Mute Aaron Broughill
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    Aug 8th 2012, 3:50 PM

    Aha ha ha ha, thats the best joke all day!

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 8th 2012, 4:52 PM

    The Joeys are only security guards not police…

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    Mute Steve McNally
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    Aug 8th 2012, 7:11 PM

    Dublin Airport is officially recognised as the best (out of hospital) place in Ireland to suffer a cardiac arrest should you be unlucky enough to suffer one. Their success rate is fantastic and it is purely down to having plenty of defibrillators around the airport and plenty of staff trained to use them

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    Mute Aaron Broughill
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    Aug 8th 2012, 9:21 PM

    You obviously haven’t experienced first hand medical treatment from the DAA ambulance service, 9 times out of 10 its a Dublin City Fire Brigade or Ambulance that tends to people on scene

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    Mute Steve McNally
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    Aug 8th 2012, 9:49 PM

    Well Aaron I probably have more experience of Dublin’s EMS services than you might think.
    The whole point of CPR/AED is that it’s done early by trained persons. The reason the airport are seeing such good results is because staff right across the DAA are trained up, and you are never very far from a defibrillator, you would not have to wait for the ambulance to arrive. The airport fire service have only one ambulance and if it’s busy with another patient obviously DFB/HSE ambulances will be called next. DAA fire service paramedics receive the same training as every other paramedic in the country and operate to the same standard.

    The main thing about AED use is anyone can do it once trained, i.e Gardai, which service transports you to hospital is not really relevant.

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    Mute Aaron Broughill
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    Aug 8th 2012, 9:55 PM

    Aha ha ha thanx for the Steve! I dont doubt about the De-Fib machines as I see them all over the Airport everday, as for the experience of the Ambulance Service and Airport Police is very questionable, I wouldnt like to leave my life in their hands after the situations ive experienced with them

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    Mute Steve McNally
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    Aug 8th 2012, 10:14 PM

    That’s a pity that you have had bad experiences. I don’t work in the airport and I’m not sure how it works but I presume there is an avenue you could go down to make a complaint?

    Anyway I’m sure there are countless people who are very happy with the services in the airport, especially those who were saved from certain death by a member of staff with a defibrillator

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    Mute Inspector Morse
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    Aug 15th 2012, 12:50 AM

    Regardless of people’s personal opinion on the actual standing of the members of the Airport Police Service the DAA has proven by equipping its police officers with Defibs in their patrol cars & at static posts it has led to a dramatic increase in number of life’s been saved.

    It’s a shame our national police force the Gardai will never be able to emulate this and see such a roll out of these AEDs in their patrol cars with all the cost cutting taking place. The benefit to the community should outway the cost.

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    Mute sarah curran
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    Aug 8th 2012, 3:54 PM

    i really would have thought all gardai would be trained to a dfib. its very easy to operate once you know how. first aid in general should be thought in schools. the red cross do fantastic work in educating people in first aid.

    35
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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 8th 2012, 6:49 PM

    Sorry religion takes precedence in schools, learning & life skills are further down the list because OFFICIALLY according to the Dept of Edu rulebook Religion is the most important subject.

    10
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    Mute Karl O' Neill
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    Aug 8th 2012, 4:31 PM

    So, you call the Gardai in the early hours of the morning because you hear someone downstairs in your home, but the local Gardai are on their way to a heart attack victim, which of course, would have to be the priority, because its life or death. So, you lock your door and pray they don’t come upstairs. Community first responders on bleeper would seem to be the way to go, especially in rural areas which could be miles from an ambulance base. They could be given a small allowance for answering calls.

    20
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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Aug 8th 2012, 4:58 PM

    Education, these things should be in the School and volunteers could teach it. Do away with half days on wednesday, teach them first aid and Driving theory. Speaking Irish wont get you a job in Google, save a life and make you able to drive or neither would saying a prayer! But of course, the Irish have their priorities right!

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    Mute sarah curran
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    Aug 8th 2012, 5:04 PM

    completely agree with ya!

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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Aug 8th 2012, 6:42 PM

    Thanks Sarah, so do I!

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    Mute Tess O'shea
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    Aug 8th 2012, 8:28 PM

    what a great local politician! If it wasn’t for him we would have head shops all over county Clare. He was the one who organised protests in Ennis. My son was severely addicted to legal highs, and now thanks to Paul O’shea he is recovering. keep up the work O’Shea!

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    Mute Bee O'shea
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    Aug 9th 2012, 11:09 AM

    cracking comment there, I thoroughly agree with that thought of yours Miss O’Shea. I also support the Great work of Mr.Paul O’Shea, under so much pressure from all angles but he comes out a winner every time, My sister suffered terribly due to her frequent visits to the head shop, because of Mr.O’Shea’s efforts, her head is cured and she is back to her usual self, I am so impressed by all his great work in supporting the town of Ennis and improving co Clare on a monthly basis. You GO O’SHEA!!!

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    Mute Captain Smurk
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    Aug 8th 2012, 3:26 PM

    A new interegation method?

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    Mute Dave Wallace
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    Sep 8th 2012, 3:39 PM

    I agree with you guys. My local paramedics hadn’t got a clue how to put out my chip pan fire last week, and don’t get me started about the three firefighters who came after my house was burgled, they hadn’t a clue how to take fingerprints. Something must be done. Won’t anyone think of the children!!!

    4
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    Mute Jonathan Madden
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    Aug 8th 2012, 9:33 PM

    Most fire engine carry them and are never called in towns around the country ,and and we’ll trained to use them but costs costs that what it comes down to

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 8th 2012, 4:53 PM

    So they beat you to death in a cell, revive you, then beat you to death again, then revive you then…

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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Aug 8th 2012, 5:00 PM

    That’s when they are out of prison spaces, they have to fit you in somewhere. So why not a box and make sure no-one is looking while your kicked under the bed!

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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Aug 8th 2012, 6:43 PM

    Sarcasm?

    3
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    Mute john mack
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    Aug 9th 2012, 12:50 AM

    I arrived on a RTI scene St. Patricks weekend before the guards, when they arrived I asked them for their first aid kit, they didn’t have any the female guard took control of the scene and set about trying to find out what speed the vehicles were doing when they came off the road (sudden hail storm – ice formed on road was to blame) she didn’t care about possible injuries even though they have radios and can inform medical and rescue staff… guarda first aid, scene safety, security of injured was and still is a joke. we have a guard who lives locally who attended a CPR AED with myself for local first responder. he hasn’t received or being offered any first aidder beyond basic level during his recruitment training.

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    Mute Vinny Healy
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    Sep 10th 2012, 12:16 AM

    Firstly alot of Gardai have funded their own first aid/CPR/AED training out of their own pocket.

    Second , like it or not the guard at the scene of that accident was there to investigated the cause and having no received training in first aid or been supplied with a first aid kit I dont she how she could do anything else.

    Third I would bet everything I own that there was an ambulance on route because as you were first at scene and are first aid trained I’m sure you would have called an ambulance. Her radio would not have made any difference in this case.

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    Mute kerryblue
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    Aug 8th 2012, 11:51 PM

    Something seriously wrong if they havent been shown already or do they get lessons in how to lick 99s while their on duty and do their shopping in Tesco also ahead of important first aid training?

    1
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    Mute Brian
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    Aug 9th 2012, 12:16 AM

    They do their shopping in tescos? Are you serious the gardai actually eat? Thats crazy domething has to be done about this…

    21
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