Further court meeting sought

WICKLOW Municipal District will write to the Court Services and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan in an effort to arrange a meeting with local councillors to discuss the future of Wicklow Courthouse.

In April the elected members of Wicklow Municipal District sought a meeting with the Court Services, which was also to be attended by all five of Wicklow’s TDs.

The lack of response from the TDs in relation to the meeting has angered members of Wicklow Municipal District, who were quick to voice their disapproval at Monday’s monthly district meeting.

The court hasn’t held Circuit Court sittings since 2008 and District Court sittings since 2010.

Cllr John Snell said: ‘All the TDs have put their faces in front of the court house for photo opportunities. They claim to be campaigning to save the court house. We should have gone directly to the Court Services and the Minister ourselves, without the TDs. They are rubbing shoulders in the Dail with the people who make these sort of decisions. If they wanted to meet them themselves without us then fine, but they have done neither.’

Cllr Daire Nolan said Bray Court House isn’t able to cope with the level of demand it is currently under regarding different court sittings.

‘Bray Court House is in complete chaos. Any given day the court there is going ballistic. People are having very personal business put back time and time again because of the back-log the court is having to deal with.’

Since Monday’s meeting, TDs Pat Casey and John Brady have indicated the efforts they have made to meet with the Court Services. Deputy Casey furnished the Department of Justice with five suitable dates to meet, while Deputy Brady says the Minister has confirmed to him that the court will be moved to the next Public Private Partnership bundle.