Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
372. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether primary legislation will be required to implement judicial review reforms under Action 1; whether drafting instructions have been issued to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel; the anticipated date of publication of any Bill; and whether pre-legislative scrutiny is planned. [16708/26]
View answerThe implementation of the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan is the core focus of the Infrastructure Division within my Department. In line with the commitments and timelines in the report, work is underway on progressing the suite of measures outlined therein, including Action?1 (Reform Judicial Review).
Action 1 focuses on addressing the systemic pressures created by the rising volume and complexity of judicial reviews in planning and environmental matters. As set out in the Action Plan, the reforms being examined aim to rebalance the system so that access to justice remains protected while ensuring that procedural issues do not result in disproportionate delays to nationally important infrastructure. This includes measures to improve the efficiency of judicial review proceedings, increase certainty around costs and processes and strengthen the overall functioning of the courts system in this area. These reforms are designed to reduce unnecessary litigation, provide greater predictability for applicants and decision-makers and support timely progress on major projects that are in the public interest.
As the Deputy will note, there are sub-actions under Action 1 due for implementation across Quarter 1 to Quarter 3 of this year.
In parallel, further reforms to judicial review are in progress under Action 7 of the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan. This Action commits to the development and enactment of a Civil Reform Bill. This Bill will place judicial review on a statutory basis. This will allow the Oireachtas to determine the scope and application of judicial review. Heads of this Bill were published in January and its development is being progressed by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
