Question
43. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount provided under the capital plan for the refurbishment programme for the Courts Service; the amount spent to date; the expected completion date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18823/17]
Answer
Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Frances Fitzgerald): As the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts, including the provision of accommodation for court sittings, is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions.
However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that the Courts Service building programme has been progressed primarily by way of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in recent years. At present new/refurbished courthouses are under construction at Cork, Drogheda, Letterkenny, Limerick, Mullingar, Wexford and Waterford. All are being delivered by way of PPP and will be delivered by the end of the year. The delivery of these courthouses will be funded through a future 25 year stream of unitary charges commencing later this year.
The expected dates on which each of those courthouses will be completed are as follows:
| Location | Target Service Commencement Date |
| Drogheda | 1 May 2017 |
| Letterkenny | 6 September 2017 |
| Wexford | 25 September 2017 |
| Waterford | 10 November 2017 |
| Limerick | 27 October 2017 |
| Mullingar | 27 November 2017 |
| Cork | 8 December 2017 |
On completion of these projects, the next 5 city/county town venues requiring substantial investment in courthouse facilities are Wicklow, Portlaoise, Galway, Roscommon and Tralee. Collectively these locations are the next priority for provincial courthouse development/refurbishment projects.
The Courts Service has also informed me that, in addition to the major development/refurbishment projects progressed through PPP, a portion of the Courts Service annual budget is allocated each year to cover the cost of capital works and related expenditure at courthouses throughout the country, including minor refurbishment/remedial works. In 2016 and 2017 a sum of between €1m and €2m has been available for such minor refurbishments/remedial works.