Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

If there is no rural representation on the building sub-committee of the Courts Service, it was calibrated during the term of my predecessor when the Fianna Fáil and Green Party Government was in office. I will certainly inquire into that issue. The Deputy was correct when he said earlier that the Courts Service is independent but that it must report to me. It falls within the envelope of the Department of Justice and Equality in the context of the funding available to the Courts Service. The Courts Service, like all other bodies, is under an obligation to effect efficiencies, ensure that resources are used wisely and, in so far as possible, to achieve savings. The Courts Service cannot be exempt from the savings that must be achieved across the broad range of justice expenditure. That obligation applied to the service in 2011 as a consequence of the funding allocated in the 2010 budget for the service and it will continue to apply in 2012. It is likely that the Courts Service will continue to make decisions to operate with greater efficiency and effectiveness and it is likely that there will be further court closures in 2012.

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