THE Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, has accused the Taoiseach and the Government of ignoring advice given in the First Report of the Working Group on a Courts Commission.
Mr Bruton told the Dail earlier this month that an interim non statutory Court Services Board would be established "within a" week", but the Government abruptly announced last Friday that it had cancelled its plans. The Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, said the board would now he set up on a statutory basis and without interim arrangements.
The U turn came after the Minister received the Third Report of the Working Group on a Courts Commission, Towards the Courts Service, on November 18th. The reports were prepared under the chairmanship of Mrs Justice Denham.
However, Mr Ahern said the Taoiseach had, "in order to save political face", disregarded the recommendation of the Working Group's initial report. That document stated: "A partial implementation... would on the one hand continue current problems while at the same time establish a wholly uncertain interim structure where lines of authority and communication could become even more chaotic".
Mr Ahern said the Taoiseach and his Government should be particularly embarrassed since Mr Bruton had admitted last Sunday that it would have been better if tee matter had been discussed with the judiciary first.
It appeared the decision not to proceed with the board on a non statutory basis was taken early last week, he said. However, the Government allowed a two day Dail debate on the related inquiry into the Judge Lynch delisting without informing the House of its change of mind.
"If John O'Donoghue [Fianna Fail's justice spokesman] had not queried the matter on Friday last, the public might not have been informed of the Government decision for some time. The Taoiseach's undertaking in the Dail was an ill thought out effort to rescue a hapless Minister for and yet another desperate attempt to satisfy the Labour Party's thirst for power.
Every member of the administration should be "ashamed" of the shoddy manner in which the Coalition had addressed crime over the last two years, he said.