The Government has approved the appointment of eight judges to help speed up the hearing of cases in the courts.
The Minister for Justice, Mr Michael McDowell, announced three judges would be appointed to the High Court, three judges to the Circuit Court and two judges to the District Court.
Minister McDowell claimed the additional judicial resources would greatly enhance the capability of the courts to deal with an increasing workload.
The appointments are intended to reduce delays in the delivery of judgements and to speed up the hearing of cases. The provision of additional High Court judges is expected to reduce delays in the Central Criminal Court, which deals with murder and rape trials.