Mr Justice Frank Clarke

Licensing records dating back to 2009 are now available to the public online from www.csol.ie for a fee of €35 per premises, removing the need for travel to the relevant court office to obtain information.

The Courts Service is currently piloting online license applications in four counties, with a view to rolling out the system nationwide in the first half of next year.

The new service marks a continued commitment by the Courts Service to streamline and improve the online services offered to the public, reducing the reliance on old paper-based methods in favour of faster more reliable online processes.

The efficiencies introduced by the eRegister project will cut down the time, effort and costs incurred by solicitors and the public, as well as by the Courts Service, when processing licensing searches.

Chief Justice Frank Clarke said: “The Courts Service has recently adopted what can fairly be described as a radical vision for the next ten years which is set out in a document entitled Supporting Access to Justice - in a Modern Digital Ireland.

“As part of this, a pilot scheme to allow solicitor firms to lodge, pay and track applications for licensing online was begun last year. It has been now been extended to counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Louth.

“The Courts Service plans to fully roll out the online e-licensing system over the coming year, saving solicitors’ firms and ultimately clients both time and money. That amounts to up to 50,000 transactions going from paper and attendance at an office, to online.”

He said the courts “now also have online fines payments, online small claims applications, online judgment search, online legal diary search, online Deed Poll register, and an online Bankruptcy register”, but that there is “a lot more to do and increased digitalisation forms a key central part of our strategy”.

The Courts Service has urged solicitors not yet registered on www.csol.ie to do so as soon as possible.