Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts, including the provision of accommodation for court sittings, is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions.

However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me, as follows, in relation to the vacant courthouses in Bray, Wicklow and Baltinglass:

Bray

The Courts Service has advised that the old courthouse situated on the Boghall Road in Bray has been vacant since 2006 when court sittings and services relocated to alternative accommodation leased by the Courts Service in the town centre. As part of the ongoing management of its property portfolio the Courts Service seeks to dispose of properties that are surplus to its requirements in accordance with its own internal policy and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's policy on property acquisitions and disposals.

The Courts Service has further advised that it initially considered the property on Boghall Road to be surplus to its requirements and since 2006 has engaged with a number of parties from public, private and community sectors who expressed an interest in acquiring or using the property, including the Jigsaw organisation in 2016. However, because of the fact that the existing courthouse in Bray town centre is operating at or near capacity, the Courts Service considered it prudent to assess whether the building on Boghall Road could have a role in the delivery of court services in the Bray area in the future. This assessment is ongoing at present.

Wicklow

The Courts Service has informed me that the courthouse in Wicklow town has been closed for a number of years on health and safety grounds. However, as part of the Courts Service provincial capital building programme, one of the objectives is to extend and refurbish the courthouse in Wicklow town to provide a significantly larger 4 courtroom venue together with a range of facilities for staff, the judiciary, persons in custody, jurors, legal professionals, other state agencies and members of the public.

The Courts Service has indicated that while detailed planning or design work has not yet commenced, it has purchased a number of adjacent properties, some of which will be demolished in order to create a larger site capable of accommodating a courthouse building on the scale envisaged. The Courts Service is, at present, considering bringing forward some of these demolition works.

Wicklow town is one of a number of provincial city/county town venues nationwide still requiring new or upgraded courthouse accommodation and collectively these venues will be the next priority for investment in courthouse facilities outside the capital.

Baltinglass

The Courts Service has also informed me that it stopped using Baltinglass Courthouse as a court venue in 2014. This courthouse was never vested by the Courts Service and it remains in the ownership of Wicklow County Council therefore the future use of the courthouse is a matter for the Council.