Closure of rural courts an ‘assault on country life’

A SOLICITOR has hit out at Courts Service plans to shut down two more rural district courts and centralise the sittings in Ennis from January.

Eugene O’Kelly said the decision to close court-houses in Ennistymon and Shannon in Co Clare was “a further assault on country life”.

Mr O’Kelly said that in 2008, there were 71 scheduled sittings at Ennis District Court but next year there will be 120 hearings.

Three years ago, the Courts Service decided to begin decentralisation of district courts in the county, with closures in Kilkee, Kildysart, Lisdoonvarna, Corofin, Tulla, Scarriff and Miltown Malbay.

From January, district court sittings in Co Clare will only take place in Ennis, Kilrush and O’Donovan’s Pub and Restaurant in Killaloe.

Mr O’Kelly said: “The state might argue it is saving costs by cutting down on travel expenses for judges and court staff but it is unfairly transferring the cost to the public using the courts.”

Mr O’Kelly, who has offices in Kilrush and Ennis-tymon, noted: “There is a continuing erosion of rural life and the pace of change has really accelerated. It seems the Government or Civil Service want nothing but a small number of large, super-sized towns,” he said.

“There is an effective dismantling of the county court system, with only minimal consultation.”

As part of the move, the Courts Service is due to publish a statutory instrument ending Ennistymon and Shannon District Court, with all of the business of those courts to go before Ennis District Court.

The move is expected to cut down on Garda overtime.

Last week, Justice Minister Alan Shatter told the Dáil that 25% of Garda overtime — equating to €13.5 million — was spent on Gardaí attending courts last year.

However, Mr O’Kelly said the move “will represent a serious inconvenience for rural people who are having to travel further and further away for basic services”.

Mr O’Kelly also lamented the fact that the district judge will be making less trips to rural areas.

“The bigger the courthouse, the more removed a judge is from the people. It was very healthy for a judge to meet people in the towns and villages of Clare.

“Businesses in a town like Kilrush where the Ennistymon sittings have been held will lose out,” Mr O’Kelly said, adding that the move “has been presented as a fait accompli”.

Fine Gael senator Martin Conway also hit out at the move yesterday.

“Administering justice locally can act as a deterrent to would-be offenders and rural towns are going to suffer on business on court sitting days.

“The cost of holding a court in Ennistymon is very small,” he said.