Youghal court offices closure to impact domestic violence victims 

Although court hearings for Youghal District and Circuit Court will continue in the local town hall, the court office in the town will close before the end of this year. Picture: iStock

Victims of domestic violence in Youghal will only have local access to courts services once a week after a decision to close the court offices for health and safety reasons.

Although court hearings for Youghal District and Circuit Court will continue in the local town hall, the court office in the town will close before the end of this year.

According to the Courts Service, the decision has been taken on health and safety grounds, as well as for “administrative reasons”.

A spokesman for the Courts Service said: “Youghal District and Circuit Court sittings will continue as scheduled in the town hall. This district court sits on the first and third Friday of the month and the circuit sits each January and July.” 

He said, however, that after the closure of the office, access to domestic violence services will be provided on site at Youghal town council every Friday, or by travelling to or phoning the Courthouse on Washington Street.

All criminal matters will be managed by the court office in Anglesea Street and all family and civil matters will be managed by the court office in Washington Street.

He added: “The Courts Service has identified (subject to the result of an internal Courts Service health and safety risk assessment) a space in Youghal Town Council each Friday, from where a member of staff would provide a local customer service in the town, particularly in relation to family law services.” 4

Cork East Labour TD Sean Sherlock said it “leaves the administration of justice for those people in Youghal who have limited means, bereft of a local service.

“To reduce the availability of domestic violence services to one day a week is intolerable. There is no real justification for this decision that I can see, beyond wishing to centralise the bureaucracy.” 

He added that “the idea that women and children, in particular, with no transport, will have to traipse up the road to Cork City” for family law services is disgraceful.

“I can’t believe that the Courts Service has made this decision to deny women and children who are vulnerable, access to a local service.” 

The Courts Service spokesman said the arrangement would be monitored and reviewed after a six-month period.