Solicitors warn of threat to cases by court house closures as Noonan advocates change
The director general of the Law Society, Ken Murphy, said closures of courts in places such as Skibbereen, Tallaght, and Swords “poses a threat to the very fabric of our justice system” and warned that some criminal trials could even collapse if some closures went ahead.
The Law Society fears that, in some instances, witnesses will not travel to alternative venues and evidence will not be provided.
“Since 2008, 77 local courts have been closed down — a rate of over 12 per year — and still more courts are facing closure in the near future,” he said.
“Access to justice is being damaged by the current cuts to key elements of the justice system, such as the Court Services Board, which has had its budget and staff reduced by 40%.”
The West Cork Bar Association has brought judicial review proceedings against the Courts Service to prevent the closure of the District Court in Skibbereen, and Mr Murphy said the estimated annual cost of keeping it open was €8,000.
“If it is closed, what additional costs will the State incur when a member of An Garda Siochána or the HSE has to travel a considerable distance and spend an entire day away from their regular duties?” he said.
“In Mayo alone, where once there were 14 courts, only four remain in operation. One court, in Westport, is waiting for funding for vital upgrades so that it can be used again.”
Citing proposals to close courts in Swords, Dun Laoghaire, Balbriggan, and Tallaght — all high-population areas in and around Dublin — Mr Murphy said the Courts Service was moving from “the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of closing courts in rural, low-population areas to very questionable closures in high-population areas.”
However, Finance Minister Michael Noonan rejected the Law Society’s claims, insisting “things have to move on”.
Referring to the profession’s Latin motto ‘nolumus mutari’ (‘we shall not be changed’) Mr Noonan said: “I think they have an inscription in Latin over The Kings Inns which effectively means nothing will ever change.
“But the signal we would like to give the profession is that the new Minister for Justice is available for discussions about the various matters and they are the professionals in the system and we will take their advice very seriously but the position of ‘no change’, that’s not a runner.”
Solicitor Maria O’Donovan of the West Cork Bar Association said it was hoped that a hearing on the proposed Skibbereen court house closure would be heard soon.
