asked the Minister for Justice whether he is aware that judges and justices from time to time make speeches in their courts about the heating and accommodation in courthouses, and publicly reprove local authorities and Departments of State for not remedying matters of which they complain, and that justices have threatened to take strike action unless, and refuse to sit in certain courthouses until, those matters are attended to their satisfaction, and whether he is aware of the general undesirability of such speeches and threats, and whether he will arrange any other way by which these matters can be dealt with.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Condition of Courthouses.
I am aware that utterances of the kind referred to have been made from time to time from the Bench and I think they are much to be deplored.
It is the duty of the county and borough councils to provide within their functional area such courthouse accommodation as the Minister for Justice shall direct, and the Minister is empowered to enforce his demands, if needs be, by way of mandamus.
For various reasons, including the difficulties created by the war and previous neglect, the existing accommodation in many places leaves much to be desired, and it may be several years before really good accommodation is generally available. The policy I favour is to make the best of the existing accommodation, pending the carrying out of a long term programme of rebuilding, and to try to get the councils to do what is necessary by persuasion rather than by the use of my compulsory powers.
Unfortunately, some of the justices have not been content to leave the matter in my hands, and have resorted to the speeches and threats referred to by the Deputy. I am not going to be coerced by these tactics and I intend to pursue the policy that appears to me to be best calculated to serve the public interest. But I am bound to say that it would ease the difficulties if the councils were a bit more ready to carry out repair on their own initiative or to attend promptly to my requisitions.