‘No plans’ to move court sittings out of Gorey on permanent basis

The Courts Service has confirmed that there are no plans to transfer sittings from Gorey courthouse on a permanent basis.

Last week, there were fears for the future of the courthouse after it emerged that there are to be no more sittings at Gorey Courthouse for the rest of this term. While staff at Wexford Courthouse said last week that those fears were unfounded, this has now been confirmed by the national Courts Service.

‘We have invested money in Gorey in recent years and have no plans to transfer business from there after the Covid arrangements wind down,’ said a Courts Service spokesperson.

‘Judge O’Shea has directed that all business be moved from Gorey Courthouse to Wexford until the end of this term. This is an interim measure to allow for the use of video link technology, particularly to avoid the unnecessary transport of prisoners during the pandemic, and to facilitate greater social distancing in a larger court building.

‘The Courts Service would expect business to resume as normal in Gorey once circumstances permit and the situation will continue to be kept under tight review,’ said the spokesperson.

They described the current Covid-19 situation as developing and that these measures were necessary to focus on prevention of community spread of Covid-19 while ensuring access to justice in a manner fully respecting public safety and considering public health advice.

The local office manager has sent an email to the local court users to inform them of the latest development.