€3m spent on refurbishment of Court of Appeal

The Courts Service has defended the near €3m spent on new accommodation and technology for the 10-judge Court of Appeal.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has confirmed that refurbishment of the Public Records Office building in the Four Courts complex in Dublin to accommodate two courtrooms and chambers for the 10 judges cost the taxpayer €2.497m.

In addition, the Courts Service has spent €467,000 on providing ICT equipment for the courtrooms, judges, and staff of the court.

Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Niall Collins said: “The fact that almost €3m has been spent on refurbishing and kitting out the ICT for the new Court of Appeal strikes me as being quite a significant expense, particularly at a time when the public finances remain under strain and resources for other justice areas such as the Garda fleet have been reduced in recent years.

“Building works of almost €2.5m in refurbishment costs does raise the question in my mind of whether or not the most appropriate location was selected to house the new Court of Appeal, its judge’s chambers and staff. It may well be the case that appropriate and suitable accommodation could have been secured or acquired for the Court of Appeal at less cost to the taxpayer.”

In response, a spokesman for the Courts Service: “Our approach to accommodating the Court of Appeal aimed to control costs while providing suitable facilities for the new court and court users. Public tenders were sought and best value for money was secured for the project. Given the extent of the works undertaken — to such an historic building and taking into account that traditional courthouse refurbishments can cost between €12m-15m — the project coming in under €3m was a very positive result for the taxpayer.”

He said it was an extreme makeover, which provided the most modern of facilities but respected the tradition and history of the building.

“The works undertaken were bigger than anything the public records building had experienced since it was blown up during the civil war.” he said. “The historic building is now secured for the future, restored, in full use, and is in keeping with the significance of the work undertaken there.”

He said it would have been far more expensive, for the Courts Service to have sought additional accommodation elsewhere for the new courts and offices.

“Apart from the difficulty of locating an appropriate site, and the cost of site acquisition, the cost of construction or refurbishment of accommodation for the court would have been significantly more expensive than that actually incurred.

“It would also have taken longer to provide and would have significantly delayed the establishment of the Court of Appeal.”