What changed, and when

15 October 2026 · Official record

Tracker started

First check of the Irish Statute Book, the Oireachtas, courts.ie, gov.ie Justice and Transport, garda.ie and the Law Society Gazette. The €520 flat fee in force since 1 July with services withdrawn in most districts; section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 2024 in force since 31 March 2025; the Family Courts Act 2024 not commenced; no sentencing guideline adopted; no Legal Aid, Intoxicating Liquor or spent-convictions Bill published.

Changes: None: the rules config reflects the position above.

13 October 2026 · Organisation

Quinn legal aid judgment now due 3 November

The Law Society Gazette reports that Ms Justice Gearty's judgment in John Quinn's challenge to the flat-fee statutory instrument, listed for 13 October, is due to be delivered on 3 November 2026, and that the judge urged the Minister and the profession to settle the dispute. The Chief Justice had raised concerns about the dispute the previous week.

5 October 2026 · Press report

About 200 solicitors and barristers walk out of the Criminal Courts of Justice

On the first day of the new legal term about 200 defence solicitors and barristers walked out of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin over the €520 flat fee. More than 100 Dublin solicitors had voted to extend the withdrawal of services into October.

2 October 2026 · Press report

E-scooter minimum age 18 in force

The minimum age for riding an e-scooter rose from 16 to 18 on 2 October 2026. Helmets and high-visibility clothing have been mandatory since 4 September. The fixed charge for e-scooter offences is €100 and the detention fee for a seized scooter is €80 plus €30 a day.

Changes: rules.fixedCharge: e-scooter entries, effectiveFrom 2026-09-04 and 2026-10-02, a human change once the S.I. numbers are confirmed.

24 September 2026 · Official record

Annual licensing court sittings and the new licensing year

The Dublin Metropolitan District's annual licensing court sat for general licensing on 24 September, clubs on 25 September, public dancing on 28 September, music and singing on 2 October and restaurants on 5 October 2026, with applications lodged by 7 September. The licensing year runs from 1 October. Fees: special exemption order €150, occasional licence €150, dance licence €150 for up to one month or €335.

4 September 2026 · Official record

Road traffic Bill published: camera vans, multi-offence points

The National Vehicle and Driver File, Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2026 (Bill 83 of 2026) was initiated in the Dáil on 4 September 2026. It lets camera-van operators give certificate evidence in court, clarifies penalty points in a multi-offence incident where a driver is disqualified, and removes the 12-month cap on a declaration of non-use. It does not include graduated speeding points.

1 September 2026 · Press report

Legal aid certificates in July fall from 10,344 to 702

Courts Service figures reported by The Irish Times show 702 criminal legal aid certificates granted in July 2026 against 10,344 in July 2025. More than 100 solicitors walked out of the Criminal Courts of Justice as full District Court sittings resumed after August; solicitors asked for a certificate per offence date, capped at five, and a further certificate after 10 appearances; the Department said these were incompatible with one fee per case.

31 July 2026 · Press report

High Court reserves judgment in the challenge to the flat fee

Ms Justice Gearty reserved judgment in John Quinn's application to quash the statutory instrument behind the €520 fee and said she would rule on 13 October 2026. The Law Society, a notice party, supports the challenge; the Minister defends the scheme.

28 July 2026 · Press report

Flat fee kept; two-thirds to be paid at the start of a case

After meeting the Law Society on 27 July the Minister for Justice kept the €520 fee and announced that two-thirds would be paid when a case starts and the balance at its end or after 12 months; a new certificate can issue for distinct and separate charges; solicitors who left the panel may return; the Children Court and cases over 20 appearances to be reviewed. The Department said there was no additional cost.

Changes: rules.legalAid.districtCourtFee: €520 flat, two-thirds up front from 2026-07-28; a human change once the amending S.I. is confirmed.

23 July 2026 · Official record

Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 signed

Bill 1 of 2026 was signed into law on 23 July 2026. Among many non-District-Court provisions, it touches outdoor seating licensing, anti-social behaviour orders and the Family Courts Act 2024. Which provisions affect the District Court, and when they commence, is to be confirmed from the enacted text.

Changes: lib/rules/ie.config.json: a human change once the enacted text and any commencement order are reviewed.

21 July 2026 · Press report

Solicitors extend the withdrawal to three days the following week

The Irish Times reports that criminal legal aid solicitors extended their withdrawal of services to three consecutive days, with criminal courts across the State facing closure on those days. By mid-July the Law Society counted at least 88 resignations from the panel; the Department said none had formally resigned.

13 July 2026 · Official record

Courts Service Annual Report 2025 published

379,262 new criminal matters in all courts (390,158 in 2024); 342,791 incoming District Court offences; road traffic 175,328, down from 185,578 and 22% below 2019; drugs 30,018, up 8%; public order and assault 48,537; domestic violence applications 27,429, up 34% on 2019; small claims 2,565, up 23%; licensing 37,672; 98,617 criminal legal aid certificates in the District Court worth €40,705,809; median summary case 182 days; summons cases 12 to 14 weeks to a first date in most districts.

Changes: The caseload figures on the home page and the district pages, taken from the PDF (pages 58, 101 to 102, 118, 121 to 122, 164).

1 July 2026 · Press report

€520 flat fee in force; walkouts in Dublin and Cork

The flat fee of €520 per District Court legal aid case took effect. About 60 solicitors walked out of the Dublin District Court and Cork solicitors left the panel. The fee replaces €239.38 for a first appearance and €59.86 for each later one; Circuit Court and higher court fees rose 8%.

Changes: rules.legalAid.districtCourtFee: €520 flat, effectiveFrom 2026-07-01.

30 June 2026 · Organisation

Flat fee set at €520, up from the proposed €455

The Minister for Justice announced that the District Court flat fee would be €520 rather than €455, the equivalent of five appearances under the old scale, from 1 July 2026. An Oireachtas committee heard the Law Society the same day.

22 April 2026 · Official record

Family Courts Act 2024 implementation plan published

Phase 1 in January 2027 in three locations, each with a Family District Court, Family Circuit Court and Family High Court and full-time family judges; Phase 2 in January 2028; Phase 3 from January 2029. Divorce to be available at District Court level under the Act. No part of the Act is in operation in 2026.

6 April 2026 · Press report

Court poor box took in about €1.5m in 2025

Courts Service figures reported by The Irish Times: the poor box distributed €1.54m in 2025 to more than 800 charities, similar to 2024 and 54% above 2023. The Annual Report 2025 gives Dublin District Court receipts of €1,395,915. Payment into the poor box is at the judge's discretion in minor cases; a 2014 High Court ruling held it cannot be used in place of mandatory penalty points.

1 April 2026 · Organisation

Eight nominated to the District Court

The Government nominated seven solicitors (Edward Carroll, Paula Cullinane, Tom MacSharry, Mary McAveety, Darach McCarthy, Catriona Murray, Olivia Traynor) and one barrister (Andrew Gubbins) for appointment by the President, filling vacancies from four retirements, three appointments to the Circuit Court and one resignation. Swearing-in dates to verify.

7 January 2026 · Official record

Garda year-end road figures for 2025

The Garda Christmas campaign release of 7 January 2026 puts 2025 road deaths at 190; the Garda Annual Report 2025 later gives 188 in 177 fatal collisions. Provisional year-end figures: about 169,000 speeding fixed charge notices, about 24,500 for mobile phones, over 8,100 drivers arrested for intoxicated driving. Over the campaign itself: 765 intoxicated-driving arrests, 26,500 speeding detections, 3,000 vehicles seized. Verify the deaths figure against the Annual Report.

10 December 2025 · Official record

Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2025 signed

No. 13 of 2025. Raises the District Court to 77 judges and the number of moveable judges to 34, with increases for the Court of Appeal, High Court and Circuit Court. The judge provisions need a commencement order; sources differ on whether one has been made. Verify.

26 November 2025 · Official record

Criminal legal aid panel: yearly re-application waived

A solicitor on the criminal legal aid panel stays on it without re-applying each year unless their circumstances change; the panel is administered by the Courts Service office in Castlebar and a current tax clearance certificate is still needed for payment. Verify the date from the Courts Service note to practitioners.