John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this topic for debate which came to light at the weekend following comments made by Judge Devins which were carried in the media this morning. I thank the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, for replying to the debate. I understand he has just come from a select committee this afternoon.

The Courts Service met yesterday to make decisions on the future of the courthouses in Kiltimagh and Claremorris. There were also rumours in recent days about District Courts in Swinford and Ballyhaunis. I understand the decisions are based on cost savings which, in a sense, we all understand and support.

The key point I wish to make is that the Courts Service seems to be making decisions on cost savings to the provision of District Court sittings. The cost for the provision of court sittings in each of the two locations is approximately €17,000 per year. I am concerned at the additional costs involved for other parties. The Courts Service may save money but the Garda, solicitors and members of the general public will incur higher costs. One must bear in mind that the areas to which I refer are rural. There is not public transport to bring people for instance to the centralised courthouse in Castlebar. Kiltimagh is seen to be near Castlebar but the court serves an area as far as the Galway and Roscommon borders. I am sure the Minister is well aware that a small number of Garda serve in those towns and if they are caught up in courts in Castlebar their front-line duties will suffer. In addition, costs for travel and subsistence must be taken into account.

Currently, there are dedicated court days for sittings. If cases from all over the county are dealt with in Castlebar I expect there will be longer waiting periods on the day with gardaí being tied up for longer. The system will be a lot less efficient and cost-effective than is the case at present and will prove unwieldy. I ask that an overall cost analysis be carried out on the decision before it is implemented.

I also have a major problem with the way the decision was arrived at without consultation with the stakeholders - the Garda, judges, solicitors, coroners and members of the public. We all understand the need for savings and are in favour of them but rationalisation has already taken place in this area of the county. Courts were closed in recent years in Charlestown, Foxford, Kilkelly, Balla and Ballinrobe. If the closures go ahead there will be a whole swathe of the county without any District Courts. It has been a tradition for hundreds of years that justice is administered where the law has been broken. These closures will put an end to that tradition. I urge the Minister to intervene by asking for an overall cost-benefit analysis of the closures and their effect on the delivery of services.

See this speech in context