Courts Service

There is urgent need for funding for a new courthouse for Portlaoise. I welcome the significant investment being made in the Courts Service, including the increased capital allocation for justice infrastructure announced in budget 2027. I also welcome the positive news of the appointment of a design team to prepare the assessment and business case for the proposed project. I assure the Minister of State's officials the business case is very simple. The key issue is when funding will be committed to deliver it. The existing courthouse has served Portlaoise and County Laois over many years but is no longer capable of meeting the demands of the modern justice system. This is not just a question of the age of the building but of security, accessibility, capacity, prisoner movement and the working environment for the court’s staff and legal professions. Portlaoise Courthouse is unique because it also serves the Midlands Prison. That creates significant logistical and security challenges that do not exist to the same extent elsewhere. On court days prisoners must be transported through the centre of a busy town. This requires considerable Garda and Prison Service resources and puts additional pressure on the justice system and the town itself. Recently I met the Minister of State along with representatives of the legal profession, Laois County Council and local traders to discuss this matter and I thank him for facilitating this meeting. Clear from the meeting was the broad consensus that exists on the need for a new courthouse. The legal profession understands the practical difficulties. The local authority understands the planning and infrastructural issues. Local traders understand the impact of the court-related traffic, parking and security impact on the town centre. As a public representative I understand the frustration of a community that has been waiting for a decision for far too long. Laois County Council has already purchased a site at Kylekiproe for this development. That site was acquired in 2020 and remains ready for the development, so the question before us is very straightforward, namely, when will the funding be provided to allow this project to proceed. A new facility would provide modern security standards, improved accessibility, appropriate facilities for victims and vulnerable court users and more efficient arrangements for prisoner movements. It would also remove the significant operational pressures from the town centre. This issue has been going on for years. The site is secured, the need is established, there is strong local and professional support and what is required now is funding commitment. There is a compelling case for the new courthouse in Portlaoise to be expedited for the reasons I have outlined. The people of Laois have waited long enough. They deserve a courthouse that is safe, secure, accessible and fit for purpose.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. It is one he has done an awful lot of work on over a long period. He has raised it with me and with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. As he is aware, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions under the Courts Service Act. The allocation of court business is a matter for the Presidents of the Courts and the presiding judges who are, under the Constitution, independent in the exercise of their judicial functions. Matters pertaining to court buildings are the specific responsibility of the Courts Service. The size, geographical spread and age of the courts estate means renovation, maintenance and management is a multi-annual programme which requires to be phased and progressed based on delivery capacity and affordability. It is a priority to ensure resources are in place to deliver efficient and timely access to justice. Last week, as part of budget 2027, the Minister announced an overall allocation to the Courts Service of €228 million. The current courts funding for 2027 will reach €159 million with additional funding of €69 million being provided on the capital expenditure side. To be of assistance, Department officials have made enquiries with the Courts Service regarding an update on Portlaoise Courthouse. As the Deputy said, a new site was purchased in 2020. The Courts Service has received an initial funding allocation under the revised national development plan to support the advancement of a courthouse project in several areas, including Portlaoise.

I thank the Minister of State very much for his response. The presence of the Midlands Prison distinguishes Portlaoise from many other courthouse projects around the country. As I said, we have a courthouse operating in a town centre and we also have to accommodate the secure movement of the prisoners from a major prison facility. Every time a prisoner is brought from the Midlands Prison to court there are logistical and security implications. There are prison officers, Garda resources and secure vehicles involved. Personnel must park on the main street of the town which has double yellow lines on both sides and a one-way system in operation. There is just no room. There are traffic and public safety considerations to be taken here and there are knock-on implications for the operation of the courthouse itself. The Minister of State acknowledged this issue when we discussed the courthouse project with him at our meeting. At the time I asked him to consider the logistics involved in bringing prisoners from the Midlands Prison to the existing courthouse. We have a greenfield site ready to go. We purchased the site in 2020. I am on the record of Laois County Council as having proposed the buying of that site and I want to ensure that in my time in here we deliver the new courthouse onto that site. It is a greenfield site so there will be no problems with listed buildings or anything like that and that is why it is a project that could be delivered and up and running during the lifetime of this Government. It would be a safer environment for the courts staff, the legal profession, victims, witnesses and members of the public. I am asking the Minister of State to take the presence of the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise into account when the Department and the Courts Service are prioritising their capital projects. I am asking him to give the people of Laois a clear commitment this project will be prioritised and that the funding would be identified to allow construction to begin. I gave a commitment to the people of Laois when they elected me to this House that I would deliver this project and I am pleading with the Minister of State to prioritise it.

I thank the Deputy. As always, the arguments he makes are very clear, very good and very strong. I have no doubt he gave that commitment and that the people of Laois can rely on him to always honour his commitments because he is that type of public representative and that type of Deputy. I hear him very clearly. The record of this Topical Issue Debate will be read by the Courts Service and the Minister hears the Deputy very clearly. We acknowledge his absolute commitment to wanting this to happen.

I thank the Minister of State.