Kerry has not benefitted to same tune as other counties in funding - local court service

SENIOR court officials in Kerry say the Courts Service of Ireland is ‘aware’ of the shortcomings of facilities within courthouse buildings in a county they say has not benefitted from investment to the same level as other jurisdictions.

A plan to site a modern courts centre in Tralee, where the county’s family law proceedings could be heard in relative comfort and privacy for litigants, is at its earliest stages. But without agreement yet as to whether the existing courthouse should be extended or a greenfield site developed, it’s many years away from yielding a result.

For now, families traumatised by separation will have to endure the further pain of a court experience within the largely Victorian-era infrastructure that was originally designed for a particularly harsh criminal law system.

However, the court service in Kerry insists it endeavours to make the experience as quick and pain-free for litigants as it possibly can. Kerry County Registrar Padraig Burke told The Kerryman this week that the service is committed to making the ‘best possible’ use of the existing buildings for the welfare of those before the courts.

“Until improved courtroom facilities are provided by the Courts Service for the people of Kerry, we will have to make the best use possible of existing facilities, limited as they are, whilst at the same time making court hearings as accessible and expeditious as possible to all litigants,” Mr Burke said.

He said the justice system in the county is under ‘constant considerable pressure’ to hear cases in as timely a manner as possible, but manages the court list to expedite proceedings: “There is constant considerable pressure on the system to provide timely access to court to progress and finalise court proceedings between litigants. We use a callover of the lists system to organise court day lists a number of weeks before the cases are heard before the Circuit Court Judge. Therefore, the solicitors for each litigant have an opportunity to select which court day and venue best suits their client before the case is given a hearing date and venue.”

Referring to the woman at the centre of Thursday’s experience, Mr Burke said: “It would be a matter for her and her solicitor to decide how best to prepare for her case and how and where she should best wait between the time she first arrived at the courthouse and when her case came on for hearing (bearing in mind the fact that the existing consultation rooms were occupied and the limited public open space surrounding the courtroom). However, the woman informed The Kerryman that her solicitor had made every possible effort to give her a clearer indication of when her case might be called before the court. But despite this her wait continued.

Mr Burke suggested Kerry has been at the back of the queue for sometime when it comes to funding to upgrade facilities: “There is no doubt that consultation and waiting facilities in the Kerry courthouses do not match the facilities available in many other venues elsewhere within the State, many of which have been upgraded by the Courts Service. However, we have provided timely access to trial across the Civil, Criminal and Family law areas of work within the county within the existing building infrastructure.

“The Courts Service is aware of the current state of the courthouse facilities within the county. They have indicated that, as soon as a suitable site is secured and funding made available, it is their intention to provide Kerry with a modern well provisioned courthouse,” he added.