Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 November 2019
263. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the capital funding allocated between January 2020 and 2023 for the refurbishment of existing courthouses or the construction of new courthouses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47538/19]
View answerThe Government's National Development Plan 2018 -2027 includes a number of key Courts Service accommodation projects including:
- Family Law and Children's Court Complex on Hammond Lane site in Dublin followed by the redevelopment of the Four Courts as a campus for Civil Courts;
- Further new or refurbished courthouses in regional cities and county towns where facilities remain substandard (including Roscommon, Galway City, Wicklow Town, Portlaoise and Tralee)
- Construction of standard county town type court facilities at a number of locations in County Dublin and also in North Kildare, Bray and Navan;
- Regional Family Law Centres;
- Further provincial locations such as An Clochan Liath (Dungloe) to serve as the Gaeltacht court for the region, and Tuam.
The precise allocation and timing of additional funding over the period of the National Development Plan remains to be fully determined. The highest priority for the Courts Service at present is the delivery of the Hammond Lane Family Law/Children's Court project, for which €80m is available for the proposed Hammond Lane Family Law court complex from a Justice sector allocation of €150m for PPP projects. Any additional capital funding allocation that will be available in 2022 and 2023, has yet to be determined.
