Mediation Bill publication
Deputy Brendan Howlin asked when the mediation Bill would come before the House, and the Taoiseach said it remained a Government priority with work well advanced. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald interjected sceptically that it would not be done.
In 2012 the then Government agreed the heads of the mediation Bill, the purpose of which is to promote mediation as a viable alternative to court proceedings. It should be a priority to minimise the costs for individuals and the cluttering up of our courts system with cases that could be settled in a much more amicable way through mediation. When will the mediation Bill come before the House?
Comment on this
It is a priority for the Government in this session and work on it is very well advanced within the Department of Justice and Equality.
Comment on this
It will never be done. It is what the Taoiseach refers to as a "priority".