Consultation to examine the role of Sheriffs and the work they carry out on behalf of the State

The Department of Justice and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners have established a Joint Review Group to examine the role of Sheriffs and the work they carry out on behalf of the State. The Review Group is independently chaired by Mr Noel Waters, former Secretary General of the Department of Justice, and comprises representatives of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the Courts Service, the Departments of Justice, Housing and Finance, and an external representative from the Insolvency Service of Ireland. The Review Group will examine the nature and volume of work available to Sheriffs both now and into the future. The role of Sheriffs will be reviewed with a view to establishing whether it is currently in line with best international practice, or if there is a more efficient and cost effective system of debt collection. It is expected that the review will take 6-9 months to complete.

The Terms of Reference of the Review Group can be viewed here.

The membership of the Group can be viewed here.

Interested parties are invited to submit their views relating to the Terms of Reference of the Group as outlined here.

It is important to note that submissions will be made publicly available on the Department's website.

Submissions will inform the work of the Sheriff Review Group in compiling a Report as outlined in the Terms of Reference. The Report will be submitted to the Secretary Generals of the Departments of Justice and Housing, as well as the Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners. The Report will be then be made publically available.

The consultation period will run until 5.00pm on 24 March 2023. Any submissions received after this date may not be considered.

Interested parties may submit comments by email to: sheriffreview@justice.ie, or by post to:

Sheriff Review Group

Civil Governance

Bishops Square

Dublin 2

D02TD99

The deadline for submission is 5.00pm on 24 March 2023.

Please include contact details in your response.

You should receive a confirmation receipt from the Department within 5 working days.

Publication of submissions and relevant provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014

It is intended to publish all submissions received under this consultation. As such, it is important to note that all information provided in this consultation process may be disclosed in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2014. Please clearly identify any information you may consider to be sensitive at the time of submission and outline your reasons why. The Group will consult with you regarding such information before making any decision to publish.

General Data Protection Regulation

Any personal information volunteered to this department will be treated with the highest standards of security and confidentiality, strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Acts 1988-2018.