The Family Courts Act 2024 provides for the establishment of family court divisions within the existing court structures — a Family High Court, a Family Circuit Court, and a Family District Court.

Niall Collins, minister of state in the Department of Justice, confirmed the timetable for the implementation plan in the Dáil yesterday.

“As committed to in the programme for government, the minister, [Jim] O’Callaghan, intends to publish an implementation plan for a new family court system by the end of January 2026,” he said.

“He has established an implementation team within the Department which is currently concluding a period of initial stakeholder engagement.

“This has included an interactive workshop at the recent Family Justice Development Forum, which provided an opportunity to gain further insight into the perspectives of a broad range of family justice stakeholders on the development of an implementation plan.

“Alongside this work, preparations are in train for the construction of a purpose-built family law court complex on Hammond Lane, in Dublin.”