Irish judges are among best paid in Europe, report finds

Ireland has fewer women judges than almost all other European states, a report from the Council of Europe has found.

The study of judicial systems also shows that Irish judges are among the best-paid in Europe but that there are fewer of them, per head of population, than in any other European country.

The report, using data from 2012, finds that women account for just 26.4 per cent of the Irish judiciary, the sixth-lowest figure in a list of 42 states. Only in Azerbaijan, Armenia, England/Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are men more dominant.

Female judges are in the majority in 22 countries, including Slovenia, where they represent 77.6 per cent of the judiciary, France (59.8 per cent) and Italy (51.2 per cent).

The average for all states is 51 per cent men and 49 per cent women, according to the report, which was published by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice, composed of experts from all 47 member states of the Council of Europe.

Comparing the size of the judiciary in each state, the report shows that Ireland has 3.1 judges per 100,000 inhabitants - the lowest of any country on the list. In Northern Ireland the figure is 3.8, in Denmark 6.6 and in France 10.7. Germany has 24.7 judges per 100,000 people.

Irish judges are among the best-paid, with their gross annual salary ranking sixth of all states. Only Scotland, Norway, Switzerland, England and Wales and Northern Ireland pay their judges more.

But the report also notes judicial salaries fell in Ireland - as well as in Greece and Portugal - during the economic crisis. It puts the decrease in the salaries of Irish judges at 17 per cent between 2010 and 2012 and notes that new legislation was adopted following a constitutional amendment that allowed for judges’ pay to be cut.

In two countries - Ireland and Hungary - the decrease in the salaries of judges was larger than the decrease of the national average salary, it adds.

The report puts the salary of an Irish judge at €122,512, a reflection of that of a judge of the District Court and a judge of the Supreme Court at December 2012.

It also says the figures on salaries should be interpreted with caution, noting that judicial pay comparisons are complicated by varying exchange rates, living standards, recruitment policies and seniority. For example, some countries recruit young judges graduating from a school for judicial studies while others, such as Ireland, recruit judges among experienced lawyers.

Analysing state spending on the legal system, the report finds that Ireland, along with Norway and Northern Ireland, are the only places where courts represent less than 10 per cent of the public budgetary commitment to justice. Ireland’s spending on its prosecution service is particularly low, putting it fifth from bottom on the list.

Ireland spends a relatively large amount on legal aid. The report notes that northern European states commit the largest budgets to this area, with more than €50 per inhabitant spent on the legal aid system in Norway and Northern Ireland and between €20 and €50 in England/Wales, Scotland, the Netherlands and Sweden.

“A relatively high amount of the budget (more than €10 per inhabitant) can also be noted in Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland and Iceland,” it adds.

However, Ireland is one of eight member states that have cut their legal aid budget.

The report finds a clear trend of reducing the number of courts in member states, and Ireland is among the countries that have seen the sharpest decline - more than 10 per cent - in the number of court venues between 2008 and 2012.