Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for his question about the courthouse in Portlaoise. At the outset, in the area of provision of funding and services for the courts, it is important to note we secured an increase of €11 million, or 8.3%, in funding, for day-to-day court operations and the development of services in budget 2026.

As the Deputy will also be aware, the Government is supporting the Courts Service to progress its ten year modernisation programme to deliver digitally-enabled services designed make the courts system operate much more effectively. This programme is having significant positive impacts. The Government is also ensuring we have more judges available because courthouses on their own are not of much use unless there are judges to administer justice.

Insofar as capital works are concerned, the courts have benefited over a number of years from investment in new and refurbished courthouses at several locations nationally and this is continuing under the current NDP. The Courts Service purchased a site for a new courthouse in County Laois in 2020. Further progress with the Portlaoise project will depend on ultimate allocations under the revised NDP funding. There are a range of projects to be delivered across the justice sector, not just in the area of courts but also in the area of Garda stations.

I am pleased to state that the construction of a new Garda divisional headquarters in Portlaoise is under way.

Within the overall framework, my expectation is that development of the new courthouse in Portlaoise will form part of the latter phase of the current national development plan. The precise details remain to be settled. There is significant demand for the construction of courthouses throughout the country. Deputy Aird very eloquently advanced the cause of Portlaoise. Others have advanced the cause of other places. It is in the national development plan, but in the latter stage.

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