The higher courts are officially on vacation for two months from Monday, though court business will still be conducted on an emergency basis, writes Carol Coulter.
The district courts are not on holiday, but the sittings in August are reduced to one in each district around the State, dealing with items such as urgent family law business, licences and remands.
The Circuit Court in Dublin will have a vacation-sitting every second Wednesday, starting on August 11th, where there will be two judges in court, one dealing with family law, the other with other issues. There is also a judge on-call all the time.
The High Court also sits every second Wednesday, and every Tuesday will hear bail lists. A High Court judge is on duty in the courts every day.
The sixth report of the Working Group on a Courts Commission, chaired by Ms Justice Susan Denham, discussed the question of the court vacations. It suggested the term "vacation" should be abandoned, pointing out that the courts do not go on holiday, and that legal work continues out of court, along with the limited sittings. It said that changing the summer recess period from August and September to July and August should be considered.