Representatives from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the Green Party, Labour and the Social Democrats were presented with copies of the manifesto at a justice hustings event yesterday evening.

In the 25-page 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.

Investment and allocation in the justice system has decreased as a proportion of total government spending since 2019/2020 from 4.2 per cent to 3.2 per cent, the manifesto notes.

The Bar warns that this shrinking level of investment is reflected in the overstretched services available to citizens seeking access to the courts, leading to significant delays and impacting on timely access to justice.

As well as investment, the Bar has called for the next government to bring forward a legislative response to third-party litigation and multi-party actions, and to move forward with a referendum on a United Patent Court for Ireland.

Bar Council chairperson Seán Guerin SC said: “Our justice system is suffering the effects of sustained under investment, and the impact of this has been compounded by our growing population and strong economy.

“Wait times for criminal cases in the circuit court exceed 100 weeks in seven offices around the country. Legal aid applications have increased by 48 per cent in the last two years. Ireland has the lowest number of judges per capita in the 44 Council of Europe member states.

“All of this paints a picture of a justice system in chronic need of modernisation and investment.

“One certain route to the diminution of our system of rule of law is through the inadequate resourcing of our courts and legal system.

“For this reason, The Bar of Ireland is appealing to candidates and parties in the upcoming general election to commit to an appropriate level of investment, so that public confidence in the rule of law can be maintained.”