Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask a supplementary question. It would be wrong of me to let this opportunity go without mentioning the decision taken recently by Kerry County Council to give a portion of ground to the Courts Service for the construction of a new courthouse. Notwithstanding that the decision was taken by a full vote of Kerry County Council, it would be a mistake to move the existing court services from the building in which they have been housed for nearly 180 years to another side of the town. The Minister might say that the Courts Service acts independently and he has no role in the matter, but perhaps he might take a fresh look at the decision. There is the potential to use empty buildings in the town centre. In light of the Government's Town Centre First policy, it would be a serious mistake for the future of Tralee town centre to leave those buildings when there is no alternative plan. We could have a court complex, including a family law court, across the road in the old Kerry Protestant Hall while we used the space available within the existing court structure to improve court services.