Delay in family courts facility a ‘scandal’

Women’s Aid has described as a “scandal” the delay in the construction of the promised state-of-the-art family courts complex. The location of the Family Law Centre and Children’s Court, in the heart of Dublin’s legal quarter, was announced almost four and a half years ago.

The holdup is linked to a funding shortfall, with the Courts Service estimating the cost of the new facility at up to €140m, but the Department of Justice allocating a budget of €80m.