Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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37. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding the ongoing construction work on the upgrade of Mullingar courthouse; when it will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22541/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that, 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.

In 2012, the construction or extension/refurbishment of seven courthouses under the Courts Public Private Partnership Bundle (PPP) was included as part of the €2.25 billion Government’s Infrastructure Stimulus programme. I am delighted to inform the Deputy that a significant upgrade and refurbishment of Mullingar Courthouse is currently nearing completion.

The extended and refurbished Mullingar Courthouse will provide three modern courtrooms enabling Circuit and District Court sittings in civil, criminal and family law cases, improved custody facilities, court offices and associated facilities and will provide much improved facilities for all court users in Mullingar and it will also result in the restoration of an important heritage building for Mullingar. The estimated cost of the capital development project of the Mullingar Courthouse is €14.1 million.

The Courts Service has advised that the works at Mullingar Courthouse are now in their final stages and are expected to be substantially completed in the coming weeks after which the building will be commissioned and certified for hand over to the Courts Service. Following hand over, the Courts Service office will move back into the courthouse from its current location on Church Avenue with a view to court sittings resuming in the refurbished building in the Autumn.

In terms of scale, the Courts Public Private Partnership Bundle project is the largest capital building project ever undertaken by the Courts Service, delivering a total of 31 courtrooms and 36,000 m2 of accommodation nationwide. New or refurbished courthouses have already been completed at six locations in various parts of the country – in Drogheda, Letterkenny, Wexford, Limerick, Waterford and Cork. The total capital cost of the Courts PPP Bundle is approximately €149.9 million.

The Government has already invested over €523 million in the Courts infrastructure between 2003 and 2016 and a number of further developments in relation to the Courts Service accommodation requirements are outlined in the Government's recent National Development Plan 2018 -2027. The completion of the newly refurbished and upgraded Mullingar Courthouse is a further example of the Government’s commitment to improve access to justice for our citizens.