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Court stenographers have begun lobbying judges in a bid to prevent a digital recording system gradually replacing them over the next five years.

Court stenographers have begun lobbying judges in a bid to prevent a digital recording system gradually replacing them over the next five years. At least €8m will be spent over the next five years - if plans to introduce the service are approved next week. All court stenographers in the country are facing the axe if the scheme gets the go-ahead and the new system is introduced. The stenographers have now begun lobbying members of the judiciary in a bid to drum up support to save their jobs. They believe the new system, which relies entirely on digital audio recording, is not as efficient, or effective, as the one currently used in the criminal courts. Today, letters will be hand- delivered to senior judges asking them to support the stenographers, many of whom have up to 20 or more years' service in the courts. The stenographers have also called on the Bar Council and the Law Society to support them in their campaign. Betrayed The stenographers say they feel "betrayed" by the Courts Service, which has not consulted them on the possible switch to digital recording. The letter to the judges says: "At a time of belt-tightening the Government is now prepared to spend millions to set up a system which is already been provided free of charge within the terms of the stenographers contract." The new Digital Audio Recording System (DARS) has already been piloted for several months in courts rooms in Dublin, Cork and Waterford. But the recording equipment in the pilot programmes is backed up by a stenographer who can still provide an immediate transcript if required. The Courts Service has insisted that no decision had yet been made on the new system, which will have a capital cost of €1.5m a year for five years. Criminal "No decision will be taken until the pilot programme which is being rolled out in the Central Criminal Court No 1 in the Four Courts, Court 25 Dublin Circuit Court, and the Circuit Criminal Courts in Cork and Bray is completed. "The pilot programmes began on March 31 and will run until the end of the law term," a spokesman for the Courts Service said. According to Courts Services, the new system will provide judges with an audio file of each day's evidence at the end of each sitting and quick and accurate playback will help clarify pieces of evidence. If, in the event of an appeal, a transcript is required it can be transcribed. But the stenographers warn that the introduction of the technology has already led to problems in other countries. In Scotland, "outsourced" transcribers were unable to understand the Scottish accent leading to huge gaps in the transcribed text. In another case, a lawyer pouring a glass of water obliterated what he was saying; and people moving away from microphones risk having their comments rendered inaudible. Lorna Reid