Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It does. We must understand and appreciate the service has only been operational for a matter of weeks really. It is an iterative process. I absolutely acknowledge that.

My second and final point is in relation to the courts. We have been talking about reform of the courts for donkey's years and for decades. I believe that we think too rigidly in this country about how the Courts Service operates: one must present in an adversarial fashion in a building that is very clearly identified. In my constituency of Cork East in Youghal I have seen two instances where domestic violence issues and family related issues have been consolidated into Cork city. For a lot of people that might not seem so far away but for a lot of families it is a gargantuan task to have to think about how they will engage with those services. Similarly, in my home town of Mallow the District Court will close for six months for refurbishment, which is necessary, but some of the services I have just mentioned will now be consolidated in Cork city for the duration. I do not think there is an appreciation by the Courts Service of the effect this will have on families. I do not see why one cannot build or refurbish buildings within towns throughout the country that could hold these hearings. The settings are vitally important and the representatives here have made very strong reference to that. I believe needs to be a modal shift in how we think about courts, the architecture around courts, and the nature of the buildings themselves. I welcome the representatives' interventions and their observations in that regard. I am hopeful that the current Minister, who has set out her stall with regard to domestic violence in particular, would be mindful of the need for family courts to be designed in such a way as to ensure they are conducive for families who engage with them. I thank our witnesses for their submissions here today.