It takes an average of over nine weeks for protection orders, barring orders or safety orders in the District Court locally. The figures come following a parliamentary question by Independent Ireland TD Ken O'Flynn to Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan. Management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and the Constitution. There is no national target or benchmark regarding maximum waiting times for protection orders, barring orders or safety orders in the District Courts.
The Department of Justice receives quarterly statistics on the median processing times for substantive Domestic Violence applications. This forms part of the Courts Service CEO’s quarterly report to the Courts Service Board. During the first three months of this year, it took 13 weeks in Roscommon, 8 in Longford, while in Carrick-on-Shannon, the figure is seven.
