Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my strong opposition against the proposed closure of Dún Laoghaire Courthouse. I believe the arguments for closure of the Court House are shortsighted and ill considered. The impact of the closure will be long lasting and irreversibile on the community of Dún Laoghaire. Please consider my reasons and explanations outlined below, as to why Dún Laoghaire Courthouse should not be closed.

COST

The Courts’ Service Internal Report calculates the monetary saving of the courthouse closure to be less than €40,000. Currently, Dún Laoghaire District Court sits five days a week and is an integral part of the local community, a community that extends to some 206,000 individuals, and growing. This small saving will be significantly outweighed by the severe and long lasting financial impact the closure will have on the local community and businesses. Local businesses such as restaurants, cafes, car parks and hotels rely on the spending of court users in Dún Laoghaire and are already struggling due to economic conditions at this time.

COURT USER ISSUES

The stated mission of the Courts Service is, ”to provide a high-quality and professional service to all users of the Courts.” However, both the administration of justice and access to justice will suffer as a result of closure.

• Sensitive areas like family law will be greatly impacted, where parties will now have to travel to an unspecified location “in the city centre” to have their cases heard. This will not improve efficiencies as it will add to already busy city-centre District Courts, as well as imposing financial hardship and unnecessary stress on vulnerable court users.
• Conviction rates will drop due to witnesses being unable or unwilling to travel to alternative Courts.
• Juvenile offenders will be thrust into a busy system based in the inner city at a vulnerable stage in their lives. The Probation Service has previously opposed the centralisation of juvenile business from Dun  Laoghaire. The purpose of having the list in Dún Laoghaire was to support local community policing and the effective delivery of services for vulnerable children and young adults in the community in terms of probation and restorative justice involvement.  Reversing the decision exposes this group of young persons to much more serious influences and risks in the city courts. The Probation Service with all associated local servies is also better placed to serve the communtiy with a court at local level.
• The amount of warrants issuing for non attendance will increase due to greater distances to be travelled by litigants and/or due to the costs associated with such journeys.
• The already overcrowded Family Law Courts in Dolphin House will be flooded with additional applicants from the Balbriggan and Swords area. I have seen the queues myself in Dolphin House and am appalled how families have to make important family decisions and consultations in stairwells, doorways and in corridors. I have spoken in Dáil Éireann on this matter.
• You might consider, too, the demographics of the legal system, and how the young and the elderly will travel to the new venues. Bus services are already under considerable pressure..
• This journey on any given day to the Criminal Courts of Justice Complex or Blanchardstown from most parts of the catchment area of Dún Laoghaire District Court will take approximately an hour each way. This will become a logistical nightmare for individuals. If travelling on public transport these times would increase even more.

DÚN LAOGHAIRE-RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council litigate many sensitive local issues such as rates, planning, littering and parking in Dún Laoghaire Court. The closure would also leave the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council without any Courts’ Service facilities. A removal of these services would result in a significant increase in costs for the Council as it would require signifcantly greater travel and time away from other important Council work. Wicklow County Council has also on occasion presecuted serious offences within the areas serviced by Dún Laoghaire District Court.

An Garda Síochána

Garda time and availability will be greatly reduced since Gardai from all stations in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown will be required to travel to the Criminal Courts of Justice in Parkgate Street and Blanchardstown Courthouse. This will take time away from allowing Gardai to peform other neceassry duties, particularly crime prevention and detection, which constituents have expressed grave convern to me about. Additonally, Gardai from Bray/Wicklow/Wexford have brought custody cases to Dún Laoghaire when their own courts have not been sitting. These court users would have to travel an even greater distance if Dún Laoghaire Court was closed.

Finally, I reiterate my strong opposition and urge the Courts Service to keep Dún Laoghaire Courthouse open. The closure of the Court House will severely impact the town of Dún Laoghaire, business owners, legal professionals, service users and local stakeholders. I urge you not to close Dún Laoghaire Courthouse.

 Yours sincerely,

Mary Mitchell O’Connor