Waiting times for appeals to be heard in the country’s highest court have been slashed from over five years to one.

The Supreme Court this morning published its first-ever Annual Report.

It highlights a “dramatic drop” in waiting times for appeals – with delays of over five years cut to around one year at the Supreme Court and two years at the Court of Appeals.

The report was published as the Supreme Court sits in County Galway for the first time – with judges set to host seminars with students from the law school at NUI Galway.

Chief Justice Frank Clarke said both events are part of a drive to highlight the work of the country’s highest court and offer increased visibility of its work and its role in the State.

Supreme Court

The workings of the court have been televised on a number of occasions in recent months – with a live TV judgement due to be delivered from Galway this morning.

“In publishing this inaugural report, it is hoped that the work of the Supreme Court, both inside the courtroom and outside, and both in Ireland and abroad, can be highlighted,” said Chief Justice Clarke.

“I hope that the general public can gain a greater understanding of what it is that the Supreme Court actually does and its role in upholding the Constitution and the law.”

Chief Justice Clarke said 2018 was a demanding and dynamic year for the court – as it delivered 91 reserved judgements, determined 157 applications for leave to appeal and disposed of 128 appeals.

He said the court has now effectively disposed of its backlog of legacy cases.

"Historic moment"

The head of the NUIG school of Law, Dr Charles O’Mahony said this morning’s sittings mark an “historic moment” for the court.

“This is the first time that the Supreme Court will sit outside of a courthouse since the Four Courts reopened in 1932, the first time the court sits in Galway, and only its third time to sit outside of Dublin,” he said.

He said the court should be commended for its efforts to engage with the wider community.

“This engagement demystifies the role of the Court, promotes the rule of law and the concept of open justice,” he said.

“The Supreme Court sittings on-campus is a timely and fitting way to celebrate 170 years of teaching law and of legal scholarship here at NUI Galway.”

Modern courtroom

Chief Justice Clarke said it is now possible to file appeals, submissions and follow-up work to the Supreme Court online.

“It is important to stress that the work of the Supreme Court has evolved significantly in recent years,” he said.

“The establishment of the Court of Appeal in 2014 has changed the structure of the caseload of the Court.

“Each member of the Court is also engaged in extra-judicial work, outside of hearing appeals and delivering judgments. The Supreme Court of Ireland is a member of no less than ten European and International networks and participation in each of these networks requires extensive judicial resources.”

He said Brexit has increased this international workload – with Ireland set to be the major Common Law country in the EU after the UK leaves the bloc.