Ross defends role in blocking judicial appointments

Transport Minister Shane Ross has defended the way in which he blocked successive judicial appointments at the Cabinet and hinted that he would be prepared to do so again.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Mr Ross said reform of the judicial appointments process in Ireland had met with resistance from leading politicians who “are joined at the hip to the judiciary”.

Mr Ross, an Independent Alliance TD, played a key role in pressing the Government to prioritise the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill by blocking attempts to fill judicial vacancies through the old system.

However, he has since allowed appointments to be made at the Cabinet due to delays in the new legislation, saying that he did not want to contribute to the courts being “clogged up”.

However, Mr Ross warned: “It was leverage - it still is leverage.”

He added that he did not agree with criticism that it is improper for the Transport Minister to intervene in issues relating to the courts.

Mr Ross said: “A lot of it is coupled with the accusation that I am involved in everyone else’s portfolio. It is saying ‘what are you doing worrying about the judges’, ‘what are you doing worrying about this, that and the other and not getting involved in your own’.

“That charge is understandable, but you have to remember I stood on a platform, I wrote some of the programme for government. Cabinet is not about going in and looking at your own portfolio.

“It is about going in and discussing what is in other people’s portfolios. They may not welcome it, but that is what you have to do.”