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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> Supreme Court of Ireland Decisions >> W. -v- Health Service Executive [2014] IESC 8 (19 February 2014)
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Cite as: [2014] IESC 8
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Judgment Title: W. -v- Health Service Executive Neutral Citation: [2014] IESC 8 Supreme Court Record Number: 409/13 High Court Record Number: 2013 1699 SS Date of Delivery: 19/02/2014 Court: Supreme Court Composition of Court: Denham C.J., Murray J., Hardiman J., Fennelly J., O'Donnell Donal J. Judgment by: Denham C.J. Status of Judgment: Approved |
THE SUPREME COURT Appeal No: 409/2013 Denham C.J. Murray J. Hardiman J. Fennelly J. O’Donnell J.
J.W. (a minor suing by his mother and next friend J.W.) Applicant/Appellant and The Health Service Executive Respondent and
(by order of the Supreme Court of the 18th October, 2013) G.W. Notice Party Judgment delivered on the 19th February, 2014 by Denham C.J. 1. This is an appeal by the minor appellant from the judgment and order of the High Court (Ryan J.) delivered on the 30th September, 2013, which refused the appellant’s application for relief under Article 40 of the Constitution. 2. Relevant dates are as follows:-
Friday the 27th September, 2013: ex parte application made to High Court to open Article 40 enquiry. Saturday the 28th September, 2013: the High Court (Ryan J.) heard the Article 40 enquiry and reserved ruling over the weekend. Monday the 30th September, 2013: the High Court gave judgment and declined to order the release of the appellant. Tuesday the 1st October, 2013: appeal mentioned before the Supreme Court which, having been informed the matter was back before the District Court on Thursday, adjourned the appeal to Friday the 4th October, 2013, for mention. Thursday the 3rd October, 2013: following an extensive hearing the District Court declined to make an interim care order and the appellant was released back into the custody of his parents, the subject of supervision order with directions. Friday the 4th October, 2013: having been updated on this new development the Supreme Court fixed the 30th October, 2013, as the hearing date for submissions on the question of mootness. Wednesday the 16th October, 2013: the appellant's father issued a motion seeking to be joined to the appeal. Friday the 18th October, 2013: the motion was moved before the Supreme Court and the Court joined the appellant's father to the appeal, whilst making it clear that it was in no way indicating that he would be entitled to any costs order in his favour regardless of the outcome of the appeal. 3. A preliminary issue arises in this case as to whether the appeal is moot. The Health Service Executive, the respondent, referred to as “the respondent”, submitted that the appeal is now moot by reason of the hearing in the District Court on the 3rd October, 2013. It was submitted that as a matter of logic, you cannot hold an Article 40 inquiry when the person in issue is no longer in custody, as the only relief available is an order for the release of that person. 4. On behalf of the appellant it was submitted, inter alia, that it could not be said that there is no longer any dispute between the parties, and that there are issues of public importance, which are recurring in the District Court, which, it was submitted, made this an exceptional case which should be considered by the Court. 5. In oral submissions it was agreed by both parties that the appeal was moot. Thus, the only issue was whether the appeal fell within an exception to the general rule; the general rule being that appeals which are moot are not heard and determined by the Court, but that in exceptional circumstances the Court would exercise its discretion and hear the appeal. An Exception? Jurisprudence
9. Instances when the Court has exercised its discretion to hear an appeal, notwithstanding that an appeal is moot, may be seen in the jurisprudence of the Court. 10. Thus, in Irwin v. Deasy [2010] IESC 35 Murray C.J. said:-
13. This is a case where an inquiry was sought pursuant to Article 40 of the Constitution. Thus, upon complaint being made by or on behalf of a person that he or she is being unlawfully detained, the High Court is required forthwith to enquire into the complaint. The relief in such proceedings is the release of the person, if he or she is found to be held in unlawful custody. 14. The appellant in this case is a minor. It was alleged that he had been unlawfully detained in custody by the emergency care order of the District Court order of the 26th September, 2013. 15. On the 30th September, 2013, the High Court refused the application for release. 16. The emergency District Court order was superseded by order of the District Court of the 3rd October, 2013. The minor is now back with his parents, subject to a supervisory order. 17. Habeas Corpus is a unique and important remedy, which may be sought swiftly to enable an inquiry into the detention of a person. The relief sought is the release of that person. It does not have a wider ambit. It is not a judicial review, nor is it a plenary summons. 18. In this case the minor has been released from the order that was queried and that order has been superseded. Thus, the issue is moot. According to the general rule, the Court would not hear such an appeal. 19. The parties agreed that the appeal is moot. Nevertheless, counsel for the appellant and the notice party submitted that the case comes within an exception to the general rule. 20. However, I am satisfied that the general rule applies to this case. The case is moot, no exception applies, and the appeal should not be heard, for the reasons set out below. 21. Counsel for the appellant raised two issues in particular in submissions, arguing that an exception to the general rule arose in this case. I shall take the second point first; the High Court judgment’s approach to the decision D. v. Groarke [1990] 1 I.R. 305, which counsel submitted appeared to make a mandatory ruling discretionary. 22. Even if the learned High Court judge had sought to vary the decision of this Court in D. v. Groarke, he would not have the jurisdiction to so do. However, I do not view the words of the learned High Court judge as taking any such approach. Whilst the phraseology may not have been the clearest, it should be remembered that the High Court judgment was delivered in the midst of an urgent hearing. 23. It is quite clear that the law as stated by this Court in D. v. Groarke remains unaltered by any reference in the judgment of the High Court. Thus, this is not a basis upon which to apply an exception to the general rule. 24. Counsel for the appellant submitted, as another reason why this appeal should be heard, that there was a finding by the High Court that the mother need not be heard until the interim hearing. 25. This was an emergency application by the HSE in relation to the baby, the child’s right to emergency protection, made in light of all the circumstances. 26. Counsel submitted that the baby’s mother was not given proper or sufficient notice of the application. 27. While it is true that there was a great deal of material furnished by the HSE to the mother with little time for consideration by her lawyers, all the circumstances and the nature of the application have to be borne in mind. 28. The judgment of the High Court in this case was fact based. The appellant is a baby. There was a claim that An Garda Síochána had detained the appellant’s parents while the emergency care application was heard. There were particular facts in this case, upon which the learned trial judge reached a decision. 29. The relevant law has been settled as set out in D. v. Groarke [1990] 1 I.R. 305. The High Court did not raise or apply any new principles. 30. The case was not argued or determined as a test case before the learned High Court judge. 31. Wider issues, as for example raised by the notice party, G.W., do not arise on this appeal. Consequently, there is no good reason to apply an exception to the general rule on this basis either. 32. The issue of an adjournment was also raised, but that is quintessentially a matter for a trial judge, and appeal courts are slow to intervene in the exercise of such discretion of a trial judge. This is particularly so where the High Court was hearing an urgent matter relating to the welfare of a child. Consequently, this too is not a good reason to employ an exception to the general rule that a moot appeal should not be heard. 33. I find no circumstances in this case such as to give rise to an exception to the rule, as occurred in cases such as O’Brien v. PIAB (No. 2) [2007] 1 IR 328 and Okunade v. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform & Ors [2013] 1 ILRM 1. 34. There is no issue of the constitutionality of s. 13 of the Child Care Act 1991, as amended, nor indeed of the interpretation of the statute. 35. This case was decided in the High Court on its particular facts. The decision of the learned High Court judge was fact based, it did not establish new principles, and as such raises no exception to the general rule as to moot appeals. 36. I have considered carefully the oral and written submissions of the parties, and can find no basis upon which this case falls into an exception in which the moot appeal should be heard. Conclusion 38. This appeal is moot. The minor, the appellant, has been released, and so the remedy of habeas corpus is no longer relevant. 39. In light of the particular facts of the case, and the fact based nature of the judgment of the High Court, I do not consider that this moot appeal falls into any category of exception to the general rule. Consequently, I would not exercise a discretion to hear the appeal. 40. Therefore, for the reasons given, I would dismiss the appeal.
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