Willie Penrose T.D.
Response by Minister of State Brian Hayes TD on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence,
Alan Shatter TD
On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence, I wish to thank the Deputy for raising the matter and I appreciate his interest in Mullingar courthouse and in the matter of its relocation pending redevelopment.
However, as the Deputy may be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service. The Act provides that the Courts Service is independent in the performance of its functions, which, of course, include the provision, maintenance and management of court buildings and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence has no role in the matter.
However, the Minister has had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed him that they are aware of the importance of maintaining court sittings in Mullingar during the period of construction for the refurbishment and extension of the courthouse.
The Courts Service has indicated that the courthouse in Mullingar is in poor condition and the need for an improvement in accommodation has been clear for a number of years. The Minister is informed that a refurbishment project which was planned in 2009 was unable to proceed due to the reduction in capital funding at that time. The Circuit Court no longer sits in the Mullingar and it has been necessary to relocate the Court Office from the courthouse to alternative premises nearby.
It is understood that the new courthouse will provide all the necessary accommodation and other facilities required for the administration of justice including appropriate custody facilities, consultation areas and it will increase the number of courtrooms from two to three. This will ensure that the facilities will comply with modern standards for court accommodation and that the needs of all users will be met.
The Mullingar courthouse development project is one of seven courthouse projects to be delivered by way of Public Private Partnership under the Government’s infrastructure stimulus package. The procurement for these projects is being undertaken by the National Development Finance Agency and the procurement process will begin in the near future. It is expected that construction work on the Mullingar courthouse will commence during 2015 with the project being completed and the courthouse becoming operational during 2016 or early in 2017. As the Deputy recognises, temporary courtroom and office accommodation will be required for the construction period as the courthouse will have to be vacated.
The Minister is informed that the Courts Service, with the assistance of the Office of Public Works, is currently looking at possible locations for temporary courtroom accommodation for the duration of the construction period. The Courts Service must operate within the budget available to it and if suitable accommodation is available in or near Mullingar which can be made suitable for courtroom use at little or no cost, the Courts Service has advised that it will consider this option. As you will appreciate, the Courts Service, in common with all other public service organisations, has been operating in a very difficult and challenging economic environment. A major factor which must be considered is the potential cost of providing such temporary facilities.
The Courts Service has informed the Minister that they will continue to endeavour to source suitable premises in the general Mullingar area but, in the event that such an option is not successful, other locations would have to be considered which would represent a cost effective and suitable alternative.
On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence, I want to thank the Deputy for raising the matter. The Minister appreciates his interest in the administration of justice in Westmeath. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that, at this stage, it is not possible to say what arrangements will be in place for district court sittings until all options have been fully examined.