All rise for tipstaffs: Court crier gets €20k in expenses

Figures show court criers, or tipstaffs, continue to receive the most expenses in the Courts Service.

In figures provided by the Courts Service in response to a freedom of information request, the service yesterday confirmed a court crier received the top amount in expenses last year — court criers featured seven times in the top 10.

The Courts Service also revealed that an unspecified number of judges ran up a €19,702 bill at an unnamed hotel during 2012. The top rate paid by the Courts Service for hotel accommodation last year was €253 per night, which included all meals in a 24-hour period.

The identity of the hotels has been not been disclosed due to security concerns.

The top-earning crier in expenses received €20,741. The annual salary for a crier ranges from €22,620 to €31,512, and they can earn up to 23 hours a week in overtime.

The figures show that, in total, Court Service staff claimed €990,000 in expenses over the year — down from the €1.07m claimed in 2011.

Expenses for criers arise from travel and subsistence expenses incurred for attendance in court away from their home location.

Their most public role is to usher judges into courtrooms with the cry: “All rise please.”

Criers are required to be at the service of the judge at all reasonable times and their tasks include receiving visitors to the judge’s chambers; filing judgements; obtaining law books; and driving the judge’s car.

Tipstaffs were first introduced to the Irish legal system in the 1920s. There are currently about 75 tipstaffs in the Courts Service, and Justice Minister Alan Shatter has admitted that none of the positions have ever been advertised.

However, the role’s days are numbered, with the Court Service not taking on any more tipstaffs following an overhaul in judicial support arrangements.

Instead, the first group of judicial researchers was appointed last year. With new judges, these judicial researchers, who are law graduates, can carry out many of the court duties that tipstaffs have been tasked with over the years.

However, the Courts Service sought sanction from the Department of Justice in September for a Supreme Court judge to recruit an usher as his crier was retiring. The letter states: “As a judge of the Supreme Court appointed to the change in Judicial Support arrangements, Judge [name redacted] retains the right to have an usher assigned...”

The department’s response was not revealed.

In 2009, economist Colm McCarthy recommended abolishing the tipstaff grade, a move he said would save €2.5m a year.