asked the Minister for Justice if he will introduce legislation to replace the Courthouses (Provision and Maintenance) Act, 1935 so that financial provision for the maintenance and upkeep of courthouses can be provided by his Department.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Upkeep of Courthouses.
33.
(Limerick East): There are no proposals at present to replace the Courthouses (Provision and Maintenance) Act, 1935. As the question refers to possible future legislation I should like to refer the Deputy to a statement made in the course of the reply given by my predecessor to Questions Nos. 153, 154 and 155 of 1 April 1982. In that statement the Minister explained the problems which such questions pose for a Minister for Justice and the particular difficulty of making any useful statements on such matters at Question Time in advance of Government approval of the proposals in question or of the making of the statement about them.
The question arises from a problem in relation to the courthouse in Galway city. The Department of Justice asked Galway County Council to vacate that courthouse in which are located the county library headquarters. The county council were prepared to comply with the request at an additional cost to them of £35,000 per year for new headquarters but they requested the Department to make some contribution towards the upkeep of the courthouse. Is the Minister aware that the situation in Galway courthouse is that people, especially in relation to the ever-increasing number of family law cases, must consult with their lawyers in the corridors? Is the Minister also aware that almost £2 million in fines was collected by that court this year but that because of the outdated Act the Department are refusing to make any contribution towards the upkeep of the building or of many other courthouses throughout the country? I am asking the Minister to consider this very serious problem. It is ludicrous to expect local authorities to contribute towards the upkeep of courthouses which are earning quite an amount of income especially in the case I am talking of where there is such a problem in regard to accommodation.
(Limerick East): I appreciate the Deputy's concern and that of Galway County Council, but the provision of library accommodation is not a matter for the Department of Justice. The second part of the Deputy's question referred to the lack of accommodation of district courts dealing with family law cases. At the moment this is in dispute with the court clerks and my Department, and I am not prepared to comment on it. The third part of the supplementary was that very large sums of money were being raised by way of fines in Galway, and I am sure they are, but there is no relationship between that and the Deputy's question.
I am aware that the provision of library accommodation is not a matter for the Department of Justice but the provision of proper court accommodation in Galway is, and a financial contribution in this area is something the Minister should be concerned with. I hope he will reconsider the matter.