The Government’s decision to abandon plans to move certain immigration and planning judicial review cases from the High Court to the Circuit Court is both welcome and necessary, according to Social Democrats justice spokesperson Gary Gannon TD.
Deputy Gannon said:
“While this decision is welcome, it should never have come to this. This proposal would have piled even more pressure onto a system that is already buckling.
“It risked fundamentally altering how complex judicial review cases are handled, without any clear evidential basis that it would improve outcomes.
“This U-turn is emblematic of Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan’s approach to legislation. We’ve seen it already with the International Protection Bill – significant heads left off, no real justification for key decisions, and consistent attempts to fob off opposition and human rights bodies raising legitimate concerns.
“This is a helter-skelter approach to lawmaking, and it will have real, lasting consequences for our judicial system if it is to continue.
“The message from experts at yesterday’s pre-legislative scrutiny was crystal clear: moving these cases out of the High Court would have done untold harm to some of the most vulnerable people in our society, particularly those navigating the immigration system.
“Human rights bodies and legal experts, including the Irish Refugee Council, the Bar Council of Ireland, and FLAC, were unequivocal in these warnings – this cannot just be brushed off as a corrected mistake.
“This mishap should force a wider rethink of how Minister O’Callaghan legislates, which is a rushed process that’s dismissive of expert evidence. Things cannot continue to function this way, and I urge the Minister and his Department to alter their course.”
March 25th, 2026