Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I convey the apologies of my colleague, the Minster for Justice, Deputy McEntee, who regrets she cannot attend for this matter due to a prior commitment.

On behalf of the Minister, I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this important matter and for giving me the opportunity to provide clarity on the issues he raised. As the Deputy will be aware, management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the Judiciary and the Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998, given the separation of powers in the Constitution. The Minister has no role in the exercise of Courts Service functions.

All that being said, it is the Minister's understanding that the Office of Public Works, OPW, commissioned a report in late April 2021 to identify remedial works required at Mallow Courthouse. The project involves addressing and rectifying water ingress issues throughout the building in Mallow.

Defective elements include pitched and flat roofs, windows and parts of the exterior walls. The refurbishment will also include fire safety upgrades in line with modern building standards.

The works in Mallow are due to take approximately six months and the cost is likely to be about €1.2 million. The refurbishment works to Mallow courthouse will ensure the future of courts and court services in Mallow and surrounding areas. During the refurbishment period, the Courts Service in Mallow is opening a public office and counter at the courthouse in Fermoy town. This building has holding cells, consultation rooms, courtrooms and an office. It is planned that all sittings of the District Court will be held in Fermoy for the duration of the refurbishment works. All Circuit Court sittings will move to Anglesea Street courthouse in Cork city for the project's duration.

The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has been informed by the Courts Service that no staff will be in Mallow courthouse as the extent of the refurbishments will necessitate vacant possession for the builders. All counter queries and phone calls will be directed to Fermoy court office for the duration of the project. In the case of domestic violence applications, these will be dealt with by telephone initially and applicants can bring supporting information with them directly to the next scheduled court sitting.

Mallow courthouse plays a vital role in the local community and its refurbishment is to be welcomed. The Courts Service has embarked on a multi-year programme of modernisation to enhance the delivery of services to the people. This programme is focused on designing court services around the user, leveraging digital technology to streamline services and processes, and ultimately delivering a courts system which is more accessible to all. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is committed to driving the modernisation and Digital First agenda across the entire justice sector and particularly welcomes the commitment set out by the Courts Service in its corporate strategic plan 2021-2023 to maximise the use of digital technologies to provide an improved and user-centred service. In April of this year, the courts modernisation programme approved an additional investment of €3.1 million for a three-year programme to provide 54 more video technology-enabled courtrooms, in addition to 104 already in operation. Further additional funding of €2.5 million has been provided for the modernisation programme in budget 2023 to build on significant investment in the sector. I hope that clarifies the issue for the Deputy.

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