Department of the Taoiseach

Copies of any representations made to the Department of An Taoiseach from January 2014-present in relation to any judicial appointments. Please be advised that I include instances where representations were made but were ultimately unsuccessful. Please also be advised that I am not confining myself in this request to representations made by elected public representatives, but include any representations made. Please further note that I am including any references to where a serving member of the judiciary wrote on behalf of themselves to seek promotion. While I am happy for personal information such as home addresses and home telephone numbers to be redacted, I request that identifying names be disclosed. To assist with my request, I refer you to a previous decision from the Information Commissioner, the Sunday Times and Department of Justice (Case No. 100263), in which the applicant sought similar records as in this request. The Decision Maker stated: Applying this general public interest in transparency to the records at issue here, it is clear that the public interest is served where the process of judicial appointments is made as transparent as possible. It is not just the fact that judges are paid from public funds but more important perhaps is the fact that they are entrusted, on behalf of the people, with independent and far-reaching powers. Furthermore, there is the reality that the process of judicial appointments lacks innate transparency and that, outside of the limited scope of FOI, there is very little by way of effective transparency mechanisms.