Ms Angela Denning:

I will deal with the questions in the order asked. We work closely with victim support, the Garda and the Office of the DPP to provide assistance for victims of crime, particularly in the context of more stressful crimes. We have a liaison officer in place in each courthouse. Their phone numbers and so on are shared with An Garda Síochána and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, in order that we can prepare in advance. In all of our modern buildings, we provide dedicated victim suites. In the newer courthouses, such as the Criminal Courts of Justice and the courthouses in Limerick and Cork and so on, the dedicated crime buildings all have dedicated victim support suites. In the older buildings, if we know when the victim in a sexual assault case or something like that is coming to court, we reserve a consultation room so that he or she has somewhere quiet to go. The Deputy is correct that the staggering of lists has assisted in the context of lower level crimes, particularly at District Court level, as that there is less waiting around. Those lower-level cases are still very stressful for those involved but the staggering of lists has helped.

When we renovate a courthouse or erect a new building, we try to provide separate entrances because we are aware of the difference they make. It avoids the potential for flashpoints outside the building. In a way, Covid has helped in that regard because the supporters who sometimes accompany accused persons to court are not admitted now and that means the courthouse itself is quieter. Only those who are necessary for the trial, such as witnesses, the accused, gardaí and so on, are admitted to the courthouse and there tends not to be the large groups of supporters who sometimes accompany accused persons.