Sorca Clarke
Question:390. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice the policies that are in place regarding support for minors attending court sittings in circumstances other than when they are witnesses. [45039/23]
View answerTuesday, 17 October 2023
Questions (390)
Written answers
The Deputy will appreciate that the management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service. However, the Department supports the Courts Service in its work to create an environment where justice can be administered efficiently and accessibly for all citizens.
How a child is engaged with as part of a court case is a matter for the presiding judge. More generally, children are in the care of an adult representative while attending court and their supervision is the responsibility of that person.
Everyone who attends courts in Ireland presents with a different set of circumstances, a varying degree of understanding and a personalised set of needs. Courts and court buildings are general-purpose buildings that need to accommodate all types of Court proceedings regardless of who the participants are.
However, the Courts Service provides a number of facilities and services specifically intended to address needs of vulnerable witnesses and victims of crime. These include (but are not limited to):
Dedicated rooms: Victim waiting rooms are available in almost all refurbished courthouses and in a number of other courthouses, with rooms specially set aside for victims and vulnerable witnesses in all future projects to refurbish buildings.
Separate family law sittings in major court venues: Separate family law sittings take place at all major court venues – urgent cases, such as an application for a protection order, can still be heard at other times as well.
Video link facilities: Video link facilities are currently available in 136 courtrooms, 33 video witness rooms and 7 Jury assembly areas across 45 Court buildings around the country. This allows people to give evidence in a different room to where the court is being held.