asked the Minister for Justice if he will consider the transferring of the up-keep and maintenance of rural courthouses to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rural Courthouses.
8.
The Courthouses (Provision and Maintenance) Act, 1935, obliges local authorities to provide and maintain in their functional areas such courthouse accommodation as the Minister for Justice shall direct. To remove that responsibility from local authorities would requre legislation. While it is not normal practice to indicate, in the context of parliamentary questions, whether legislative changes are being considered in particular areas, I think it appropriate in this particular instance to make it clear that I have no proposals of the kind in question.
The Minister will agree that many of the rural courthouses are in a very poor condition and are not in accordance with the degree of dignity which the law requires, that the provision of proper courthouses is essential and that many of the local authorities, in the present cutbacks situation as a result of this Government's policies, are not in a position to maintain these courthouses in a reasonable manner. Many of them are unheated in winter and are in a very poor, dilapidated condition. Is the Minister satisfied with that and is he going to do anything about it?
I am very thankful to the local authorities for what they do within the limits of their resources in making courthouses as suitable as they possibly can to be used as courthouses. I have been in a number of these in the rural parts the Deputy is talking about. Certainly there is room for improvement but the basic facilities are always there. Sometimes we have not even a central heating system but there are open fires. The Deputy should know that if he visits courthouses in rural places.
There is no heating at all.
I am seriously considering the matter of the numbers of these types of courthouses and, having regard to the resources available, I will be in a position to make recommendations to the Government on whether we require that number of courthouses throughout the country as a whole, but until I have the matter examined I am not in a position to say anything further about it.
I want the Minister to indicate what, if any, financial assistance or recoupment is made to local authorities for moneys they spend on the upkeep of District Courts in rural areas. How many of our rural courts are now held in the dancehalls of local hotels and sundry other unsuitable places?
I cannot deal with the first part of the Deputy's question because it is not appropriate to me. With regard to the second part of his question, I can say that a very small percentage would be held in the way the Deputy suggests.
This is done in——
If that information is readily available I will see if the Deputy can have it.
Has the Minister ever got his Department to make a comparative study of the density of the District Court's presence throughout the country as compared with countries of comparable population density elsewhere in western Europe?
Of course, I am doing so.
I imagine we have a very high level of density of courthouses.
Deputy Kelly's suggestion in his supplementary question is very much the kernel of the whole operation I am going through right now to see whether they are justified. Is it right and proper that we should have a district justice travelling long distances to a court session which might not take longer than 20 minutes or half an hour or would that district justice be far better employed in a central area?
And there are witnesses' expenses.
That has been looked at previously.