Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, to the Chamber. The first matter is in the name of Senator Whelan.

John Whelan (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter which pertains to the location and suitability of Portlaoise Courthouse. It was built in 1782. While I am all for historic buildings to be put to good use and good purpose, in terms of having a viable, modern courthouse, this building is well past its sell-by date. Its location in the context of modern Ireland is absurd. It is on the main street of Portlaoise, which would be tantamount to having a courthouse in the middle of Grafton Street in Dublin. It is not fair on business or on the Courts Service and the people who work there. The Prison Service has a serious problem with it in terms of security, parking and safety, as do the Garda authorities. All the stakeholders would like to see the courthouse relocated and reappointed to a purpose-built building that would be more appropriate to its use.

Another factor is that the courthouse used to be the companion building to the former Marlborough jail which was closed in 1830. The courthouse was in that kind of use dating back to that time. In 1982, a colleague of the Minister of State, Councillor Tom Keenan of Fine Gael, had the foresight to relocate the civic offices, the Laois County Council offices, from the courthouse building to a new modern purpose built complex in county hall. The relocation of Portlaoise courthouse is long overdue, bearing in mind that it no longer only runs the business of court in Portlaoise due to rationalisation of the Courts Service.

I am opposed not to the rationalisation of the Courts Service but to the closure of small rural courthouses such as those in Birr and Edenderry. As a journalist, I covered proceedings in the courthouses in Abbeyleix, Mountmellick, Portarlington and Rathdowney. All of these courthouses have since been amalgamated and centralised in Portlaoise which also houses the Circuit Court. Because of its close location to two high security prisons, there are often high profile cases in Portlaoise courthouse. When this happens, the entire main street is blocked with Garda and prison vehicles and people attending the courts by whom senior citizens and other people going about their business often feel intimidated. The situation is no longer tenable. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, to impression upon the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, the need for investment by the Courts Service in a modern courthouse in Portlaoise, in a building which is fit for purpose and not located on the Main Street of the town. The current situation is absurd.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I appreciate his interest in Portlaoise courthouse and the issues relating to its existing location on the Main Street in Portlaoise.

As the Senator will appreciate, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service and the Minister has no role in the matter. Section 4(3) of the 1998 Act provides that the Courts Service is independent in the performance of its functions which, of course, include the provision, maintenance and management of court buildings. However, the Minister has had inquiries made and the Courts Service has advised that Portlaoise courthouse is a neoclassical building constructed around 1805 on a corner site. The courthouse is owned by Laois County Council and was last refurbished by the Courts Service in 2001 at a cost of €2.75 million.

More recently, in 2010, some minor works were also carried out. In relation to proposed works, the service has stated that some work is also planned for the provision of cell facilities within the courthouse. The service has stated that it is aware that the facilities in Portlaoise courthouse fall short of what is required to meet the demands placed on the courthouse but that there is limited scope for development within the existing courthouse building and site. In 2007, the service in co-operation with the OPW, began a search for an appropriate alternative site in the town for a new courthouse development. A number of potential sites were considered during 2007 and 2008. However, no site was acquired at that time.

Since 2008, the service, in common with all other public service organisations, has been operating in a very difficult and challenging economic environment. While continuing its search for a new site for a courthouse, the service has indicated that it currently has limited funding available for site acquisition and development. In the absence of a suitable site, the service has informed the Minister that it is not possible to bring forward specific proposals for the replacement of Portlaoise courthouse at this time and that a new courthouse cannot be delivered in the short to medium term.

John Whelan (Labour)
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I appreciate the frankness and directness of the response. It is, however, bad news as far as I am concerned. I believe refurbishment of Portlaoise courthouse, which is hundreds of years old, was a waste of money and a case of throwing good money after bad. It suggests to me that the problem is being long-fingered and will not be addressed in the short term. I am further concerned to hear that cell facilities are to be provided at the courthouse. While this may resolve some of the security issues it will not resolve the core issue of the relocation of the courthouse. If the Courts Service needs assistance in securing and sourcing a suitable site I am sure many of the local businesses would be willing to assist it in that regard. While I realise that resources are limited, this issue will have to be revisited as a matter of priority. The holding of a court sitting almost every day of the week at the courthouse on Main Street cannot be allowed to continue.

It mesmerizes me in the extreme that the previous Government spent €30 million on a site for the proposed Thornton Hall prison, which will never be built. A number of sites in respect of the relocation of Portlaoise courthouse could have been purchased with that money, which was taxpayers' money that has been squandered. I ask that the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, impress upon the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, my ongoing concern in this relation to this matter.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Government is conscious of the value of providing for an excellent court system and has continued to provide substantial resources to the service, with a supplementary estimate of €5 million provided last year on top of the original net budget of €54.1 million. However, the Senator will appreciate that no area is exempt from the financial constraints of the past few years.

In relation to some court locations, the board has had to take the unpalatable decision of closing a number of small, non-viable venues and has had to introduce more efficient work processes to allow the service to continue to provide front-line services within the reduced staffing levels that are essential nowadays. The service has stated that it will keep the issue of Portlaoise courthouse under review. Given the Senator has had meaningful dialogue on the issue with the Courts Service I am sure it is conscious of the needs in this regard.