The Court of Appeal is to get six new judges to cut delays of up to six months in criminal cases.

The move comes after a new bill was introduced by Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.

It will increase the number of ordinary judges in the Court of Appeal from nine to 15.

This will consist of a president and 15 ordinary judges.

The current waiting time for civil cases to be heard is approximately 20 months, while it can take up to six months for criminal cases to be heard.

Minister Flanagan has said this will address the waiting times for cases, and improve efficiency in the appeals process.

Both the President of the Court of Appeal and the Chief Justice had made the case to the minister that additional judges be appointed to the Court of Appeal to address delays.

The bill provides for the amendment of the relevant primary legislation to increase the number of judges in the Court of Appeal.

Minister Flanagan said: "It is clear that the Court of Appeal has a very significant volume of work, both in terms of the caseload it inherited from the Supreme Court on its establishment as a new court in 2014, and of the volume of new cases it is taking on in its own right.

"On the criminal side, the current waiting time is an acceptable six months. However on the civil side it is much longer.

"I do not want to see a situation where those waiting times could end up at a similar level to that of the Supreme Court prior to 2014.

"Waiting times then, were over four years."

The bill is set to be published in the coming days.

Fianna Fáil's justice spokesperson Jim O'Callaghan has welcomed the change.

He said: "There can be a common misconception that judicial appointments are for the convenience of judges or practicing lawyers.

"In fact, the appointment of judges and the consequent reduction in court delays benefits the citizen.

"These additional appointments are required in order to ensure that citizens who appear before our courts, who are anxious to secure and seek justice, have an opportunity to have their rights vindicated without undue delay."

"The fact that there will now be 15 judges tasked with alleviating the volume of hearings waiting to be heard at the Court of Appeal will come as a relief to those who continue to wait for their opportunity to secure justice".