Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2025
185. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of judicial review cases his Department has defended in each of the past ten years; the number in relation to which proceedings are pending or continuing; the number of cases which were lost and won, respectively, in the same period; the number of cases that settled in the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32838/25]
View answerJudicial Reviews initiated against the Minister for Defence are managed on the Minister's behalf by the Chief State Solicitor's Office.
Judicial Reviews against the Minister for Defence normally arise in respect of employment related matters (e.g. promotions, enlistments, discharges, disciplinary matters, allowances and so forth) within the Defence Forces.
The number of Judicial Reviews initiated against the Minister for Defence for each of the last ten years is set out in the table below:
|
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
9 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
There are currently 8 Judicial Reviews with proceedings pending or continuing.
In respect of outcomes during the period set out above:
- 7 judgments were awarded against the Minister for Defence
- 21 cases were settled
- 17 cases were otherwise disposed on the basis that the case was withdrawn by the Applicant, dismissed by the courts, or struck out without a contested hearing.
Please note, not every case is disposed of in the same year that it was initiated. Therefore, the outcomes set out above will not correlate precisely to the cases received in the same period.
Given the nature of each of these proceedings, it would not be appropriate to discuss the details of any individual case.
