The Irish council for civil liberties (ICCL) has called for the set up of a Judicial Council to monitor the Irish judiciary and ensure best human rights practice is employed in a new report published on Tuesday.
The suggested council is supported by some Superior Court Judges who contributed to the report published yesterday by the ICCL, the report is called "Justice Matters; Independence, Accountability and the Irish Judiciary".
A senior judge who spoke to the ICCL in confidence said "I think the public demand accountability from judges. It only takes a couple of high profile cases to increase the need for it."
"I think a Judicial Council from what I know is proposed and I think would be very adequate. I cannot understand how every other jurisdiction can have a Judicial Council and this jurisdiction seems to have such great difficulty in putting one in place."
Director of the ICCL Mary Kelly said in a press statement that it was important for the judiciary to remain independent but at the same time it must be held accountable.
She said "The report proposes a variety of practical ways in which the accountability of the judges can be enhanced, while safe guarding their independence. The ICCL is calling upon the new Government to introduce a Judicial Council Bill at the earliest possible opportunity."
The report also recommends that the manner in which judges are appointed needs to be monitored, that judges need to be provided with development activities and that the judiciary should reflect the changing face of Irish society.
Following the release of the report Labour TD Brendan Howlin said in a statement there was no case to be made for 'gagging public representatives' from commenting on the decisions of judges.
"What would have happened in the UK for example, if politicians were precluded from making comments on the original outcomes of the Guildford four and Birmingham six cases.
"Would criticism of the Judges in those cases have been construed as a statement that "might appear to undermine the independence of the judiciary"? If that were the case, those people would probably never have got justice."
He added "There is however, I believe, an unanswerable case for the establishment of a Statutory Judicial Council."
The report was written by Tanya Ward ICCL's Senior Research and Policy Officer and took one year to complete.
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