Sinn Féin has said that Jim O’Callaghan’s comments about rape trials are “arrogance on the part of the Minister”.
With the Department of Justice and solicitors mired in an increasingly bitter dispute over a new flat fee of €520 for legal aid cases.
While solicitors argue a flat fee does not reflect the complexity of their work, the Government believes it is needed to drive down costs.
Yesterday, criminal defence solicitors went on strike once again over the issue, withdrawing their services from the courts, including from a number of rape cases.
In response, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said he believed rape cases had been “deliberately affected” and called on the Law Society of Ireland to explain themselves.
On The Claire Byrne Show, Oireachtas Justice Committee Chair Matt Carthy called for “calm and meaningful engagement” between the Minister and solicitors.
However, he added that he feels that Minister O’Callaghan is “up for neither”.
“I have real concerns, I have to say, about what this might mean for the criminal justice system, particularly for victims,” he said.
“But also for the wider operation of our criminal justice system, which was already dysfunctional and hadn't been improving under the direction of this Minister.”
The Criminal Courts of Justice. Picture by: Alamy.com. The Sinn Féin TD said he believes a solution to the standoff is “very possible” and should have been found by now.
“I think the escalation that we've seen this week was entirely avoidable,” he argued.
“And again, it's down to what can only be described as arrogance on the part of the Minister.”
Deputy Carthy continued that the longer the dispute drags on, the greater the risk to the public.
“There are people who should be imprisoned right now, or who should be imprisoned in the coming days and weeks, who will be at large,” he said.
“Either because they receive bail because the judge feels that they have no option, because they're unrepresentative, or because they will be able to challenge any convictions that arise out of this scenario.
“That is a system that the Minister has decided to double down on, rather than, as I believe is very possible, a meaningful engagement, sit down, discuss the issues, thrash out the issues and come to the solutions.”
Main image: Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan. Picture by: Alamy.com.
