Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In his discussions with the Courts Service, will the Minister of State ask it to be flexible in arrangements for provincial courthouses? There has been a difficulty, which the service has said over the years, in that some courthouses need separate entrances for judges, victims of crime etc. Wheelchair accessibility has been an obvious issue for the past 30 years but nothing has been done on that.

Tralee courthouse goes back to the days of Daniel O'Connell. It was designed by a 16-year-old apprentice architect and has been part of the fabric of the town for years. Arrangements could be made, such as hiring out a conference centre or a hall in the local institute of technology, in order that juries can be sworn in and taken to a trial where the number of witnesses can be limited by agreement.

Will the Minister of State keep in mind that it is more than just the operation of justice and that it affects the whole of the town and town centres?

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