Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 July 2020
583. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the works envisioned as being carried out under the capital expenditure budget for the Courts Service in the revised estimates; and if the division between renovation or extension works and new builds for courthouses will be included. [16762/20]
View answerUnder 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.
A number of major courthouse projects have been included in the Government's National Development Plan 2018-2027 and the overall vision in Project Ireland 2040. These include:
- A major Family Law and Children's Court Complex on a site adjacent to the Four Courts at Hammond Lane in Dublin;
- Further new or refurbished courthouses in regional cities and county towns where facilities remain substandard (including Galway City, Wicklow Town, Portlaoise, Tralee and Roscommon);
- 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; and
- A nationwide condition survey of all court buildings in the estate will be undertaken to determine their condition and identify works required in relation to any issues identified and meet ongoing maintenance requirements.
The precise allocation and timing of additional funding over the entire ten year period remains to be fully determined. The delivery of the Hammond Lane Family Law project is a priority for Courts Service.
At present the annual Courts Service capital budget is €4.88m. In 2020, an additional €10m was allocated primarily for the purpose of settling the final account (€8.9m ex VAT) on the recently completed €158m Courts PPP Bundle project which delivered new or refurbished courthouses at Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Wexford, Letterkenny, Mullingar and Drogheda.
A breakdown of the proposed expenditure of the €4.88m is as follows:
- €1m – repayment of a loan inherited from Cork City Council relating to the refurbishment of Washington Street Courthouse.
- €1m – lease costs for various leased courthouses nationwide.
- €1m – site acquisitions in Portlaoise and Tralee for NDP projects.
- €1.2m – various minor upgrades around Dublin/Four Courts campus.
The balance is for various small projects or items of expenditure that may arise during the course of the year.
