Master of High Court will not be appointed until new legislation enacted

The quasi-judicial post has been vacant since the retirement of long-standing master Edmund Honohan SC in April 2022, with a deputy master covering the master’s list in the meantime.

It is now unlikely, given legislative timetables and the public appointments process, that a permanent appointment will be made until next year.

Under the Court Officers Act 1926, the master of the High Court must be a practising barrister who either has at least 10 years’ experience or is an officer attached to the Supreme Court, the High Court or the chief justice.

The Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022, which recently cleared the Dáil, will revise the eligibility criteria to include any barrister or solicitor with at least eight years’ experience, or anyone who has served as deputy master for at least three months.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice told Irish Legal News: “The bill was passed by Dáil Éireann in March and committee stage in the Seanad is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

“Where any vacancies arise, they are filled in accordance with the Court Officers Act 1926, generally through a public appointments selection process.

“In circumstances where the pool of eligible candidates for the position of the master of the High Court may soon be extended, it has been considered premature to fill the position at this time.”