Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. My understanding is that the Minister has made inquiries on this issue and the Courts Service has informed him it is aware of the importance of maintaining court sittings in Mullingar during the period of construction for the refurbishment and extension of the courthouse. The Courts Service has indicated that the courthouse in Mullingar is in poor condition and the need for an improvement in accommodation has been clear for a number of years. The Minister is informed that a refurbishment project which was planned in 2009 was unable to proceed due to the reduction in capital funding at that time. The Circuit Court no longer sits in Mullingar and it has been necessary to relocate the court office from the courthouse to alternative premises nearby.

It is understood that the new courthouse will provide all the necessary accommodation and other facilities required for the administration of justice, including appropriate custody facilities and consultation areas, and it will increase the number of courtrooms from two to three. This will ensure that the facilities will comply with modern standards for court accommodation and that the needs of all users will be met.

The Mullingar courthouse development project is one of seven courthouse projects to be delivered by way of public private partnerships under the Government's infrastructure stimulus package, and the good news is that these are now again underway after a four-year period where no movement was occurring.

The procurement for these projects is being undertaken by the National Development Finance Agency and the procurement process will begin in the near future. It is expected that construction work on the Mullingar courthouse will commence during 2015 with the project being completed and the courthouse becoming operational during 2016 or early in 2017. As the Deputy recognises, temporary courtroom and office accommodation will be required for the construction period as the courthouse will have to be vacated.

The Minister is informed that the Courts Service, with the assistance of the Office of Public Works, is currently looking at possible locations for temporary courtroom accommodation for the duration of the construction period. I will not put all the other stuff, which is probably padding, on the record. I conclude by saying that I will take the initiative now and put in place a meeting between the Courts Service and my Department urgently to report back directly to Deputy Penrose regarding the important matter he has raised and see whether we can get a better fit between now and the next two years when the refurbishment works must be done.

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