The list that serves as the Magistrates Court's first point of call for defendants in the ACT's justice system, known as the A-list, churns through a huge number of matters every day of the working week.

It can deal with suspects on remand wanting release from custody, suspects who are yet to enter pleas, and less serious matters such as traffic offences, through to sentencing.

But the list often becomes overcrowded and sits for long stretches at a time, something that prompts recurrent concerns about defendants stuck waiting for an opposed bail application, as well as the wellbeing of court staff who are left without a proper break and the overall efficiency of the court.

Last week, Magistrate Peter Dingwall aired his concerns about the length of the A-list.

His concerns were echoed this week by Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker, pictured, who said she was worried about the impact the list may be having on her colleagues, prosecutors and other court staff.

Ms Walker said she was looking at the option of separating bail matters from the A-list, potentially alleviating the pressures. She said a bail court was an attractive option, but there needed to be further discussions about how to do it without disadvantages to other lists.

That was an issue Ms Walker said she, her colleagues and other stakeholders were working to overcome.

The proposal for a stand-alone bail court in the ACT has been floated for years, and there have been constant calls for something to be done about the length of the A-list.

Director of Public Prosecutions Jon White said priority should be given to suspects on remand who are waiting to apply for bail. ''Obviously there has to be a bail list every day, and it should be as early as possible so that people who are in custody have their bail matters dealt with,'' he said. ''That's the number one priority.''

Mr White said there was a general acceptance in the legal profession that a separate bail court would be advantageous. He said it would also help to improve the court's efficiency, and relieve pressure on those stuck in the court's A-lists.

''They often run for a long time, sometimes quite late in the afternoon, and that puts a lot of pressure on magistrates, lawyers, court staff and so on,'' he said.

''We think that the matter would be assisted by splitting bails out of the A-list so they can be given priority and dealt with as soon as possible.''

The DPP believes that by doing this it may only be necessary to hold two or three A-lists a week, rather than the five now held.

The Law Society of the ACT has long been a supporter of the proposal for a separate bail court.