Vol. 473 No. 6
239 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Justice the reason for the closure of Clones courthouse; the necessary works to be carried out; when works will commence; the date on which the courthouse will be opened for sittings of the court; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2060/97]
The decision to move sittings of the District Court from Clones to Monaghan was taken on the basis of an engineers report, commissioned by the local authority, on Clones courthouse which indicated that the building is not structurally safe at present for the holding of court sittings.
I can assure the Deputy that the decision to move sittings of the District Court from Clones to Monaghan was taken on this basis alone and that it would be my intention that the sittings will be returned to Clones when either a new temporary venue can be located in Clones or the necessary works are carried out to the courthouse.
In regard to the courthouse itself, I am advised that it will be necessary at this stage to consider what works, in addition to the necessary structural works, will be required to bring Clones courthouse up to the required standards for modern court accomodation. For this reason, it is not possible at this stage to give an indication of the timescale for the reopening of Clones courthouse.
