Judicial appointments bill moves to committee stage

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan told TDs: “The Government is not proposing any amendments at this stage. As minister, I will not be agreeing to any amendments which cut across the basic tenets of the Programme for Partnership Government commitment.

“However, I stress that our minds are not closed in relation to a number of areas raised in today’s amendments. I would also like to express my appreciation for all of the work which Deputies have clearly put into putting together the almost 200 amendments before us today.”

He added: “The areas covered by the amendments shows a huge diversity in thinking, and also highlights a number of differences in policy approaches, which we will no doubt be debating today.”

In one of a series of amendments, Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson Jim O’Callaghan has proposed that the proposed new judicial appointments commission should be chaired by a retired judge.

Mr O’Callaghan told The Irish Times that it represented a “compromise” as the Government had refused his party’s call for the commission to be chaired by the Chief Justice of Ireland.