An Oireachtas report on the criminal justice system is to call for the appointment of more judges, and will suggest the possible introduction of a new offence of membership of a criminal gang.
The report, to be published tomorrow, will also call for the offences of perjury and contempt of court to be defined in law.
At the moment these are common law offences, and therefore have been defined by the courts rather than in legislation.
The report has been prepared by the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, chaired by Mr Seán Ardagh TD. It devotes considerable space to examining delays in the holding of criminal trials, and supports the proposal that more judges be appointed.
It examined the resources available to the Courts Service, and recommends greater use of video-link evidence and the provision of other physical resources to the courts.
It supports the right to trial by jury, while agreeing that there are circumstances where non-jury trials are necessary, such as in the Special Criminal Court.
It also recommends giving additional resources to the Probation and Welfare Service.
The committee members also considered the continued occurrence of gangland-type offences. The introduction of a new offence of membership of a criminal gang is acknowledged as being legally very difficult, but the report recommends that it be considered. It also suggests the extension of the right of the prosecution in criminal trials to appeal against legal findings in cases in which a not-guilty verdict has been reached.