asked the Minister for Justice if he has under consideration the appointment of any additional High Court judges; and, if so, whether such proposals include the appointment of any female judges.

There are at present no proposals before the Government for the appointment of an additional High Court judge.

The second part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

Does the Minister accept that there is an inordinate amount of pressure on High Court judges in view of the increasing business with which they have to deal? Would the Minister be willing to consider sympathetically, if and when a review of the number of High Court judges comes before him—and, indeed, perhaps it is time for him to review the conditions under which some of the High Court judges work—the question of having at least some woman judge among these judges in view of the extraordinary situation that exists at that level where not one judge is female?

Due to the fact that there are no proposals at present, this question is hypothetical.

Is the Minister satisfied with the position which obtains where the top echelon of the Judiciary are exclusively male? Does that reflect fairly on the demographic situation in the country? Is he satisfied and happy that that should be the case?

That is not a reflection on the Judiciary.

I did not suggest that it was. May I ask the Minister of State——

One final supplementary, please.

——if he consider it fair and just that it should be the case that all the judges in that echelon—and in fact, at nearly all levels of the Judiciary—are exclusively male?

As I have said, it is not a reflection on the Judiciary that there is not a woman among the judges.

I am not suggesting that it is.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Is it a fact that there is not adequate accommodation for the existing judges and that that is the reason why the Minister cannot consider appointing further judges, although they are necessary?

Surely that is a separate question.

(Cavan-Monaghan): It is not. It is very near the bone. Is not the position that the present accommodation is insufficient for the existing judges?

I can assure the Deputy that the provision of suitable accommodation where necessary is being actively engaged in with the Department of Finance.

(Cavan-Monaghan): Does that mean that they have bought the Four Courts Hotel and barricaded it up and are doing nothing about it?

That is a separate question.

It seems that nothing is being done.

Question No. 48, please.