Dear Colleague
Following the announcement by NICTS of the “temporary” closure of the Old Townhall Courthouse, the BSA issued a press release to the media and entered into detailed correspondence with NICTS on the issue.
The BSA was invited to a meeting with NICTS after the decision to close the building had been taken. The correspondence issued as a consequence of that meeting. NICTS have now responded to our various submissions and a summary of the response is as follows:-
SUMMARY OF COURT SERVICE RESPONSE TO CONCERNS RAISED BY THE BSA REGARDING THE CLOSURE OF THE OLD TOWNHALL BUILDING:
- The decision to temporarily close Old Townhall building was taken in direct response to the requirement for immediate savings following significant reductions in Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) budget.
- The timeframe fixed for closure and transfer of court business to Laganside Courts did not afford opportunity for wider consultation with court users in advance of transfer of business.
- Additional seating has been installed in the waiting areas outside courts 1, 2 and 3 on Level 2 in Laganside to almost double capacity in this area. There is also a separate waiting area on the ground floor, adjacent to the Cafeteria, for parents with small children and we would ask that your members encourage their clients to make use of this area. Additional seating has also been provided in this area to meet expected increased demand.
- There are 11 consultation rooms already available on Level 2, 5 of which are in close proximity to courts 1,2,3 and 4 and a further 8 consultation rooms on Level 4. In response to concerns raised by legal representatives additional consultation facilities will be made available on Level 2 for use by practitioners with effect from 3rd November 2014.
- Please remind your members that a separate Barristers/Solicitors room is already available on Level 3 which practitioners can use for private discussions with their colleagues, (in the absence of clients) about individual cases.
- Changes to the layout of courtrooms 1 and 3 on Level 2 have been agreed with the judiciary and work is already underway to make the necessary adjustments so that these courtrooms will be fit for purpose.
- Practitioners will have an opportunity to view a mock set-up of the youth court, in Courtroom 1, Laganside Courts between 3.45 and 5.45pm on Tuesday 28th October 2014.
- In preparation for the transfer of the family proceedings court to Laganside provision has been made for Court Children’s Services staff who have been allocated a room in close proximity to both family courts on Level 2.
- In preparation for the transfer of family and youth courts, courtrooms in Laganside have been re-allocated to provide separation between these courts and the adult criminal courts also sitting in courtrooms 6 – 10 on Level 2. Security staff will maintain a continuous visible presence within the waiting area directly outside courtrooms 1, 2 and 3 while these courts are sitting.
- A telephone booth, similar to that in court 4 Old Townhall, will be installed in Court 1 in Laganside Courts over the next number of weeks.
- The change of use of the ‘Duty Solicitor’ room on Level 2 to accommodate the Court Children Service Officers and the Youth Justice Agency staff on court sitting days is essential in order to ensure these services remain readily accessible to family and youth court users.
- It is intended that the equipment to view video evidence currently available in the ‘Duty Solicitors’ room be moved to the Barristers/Solicitors room on Level 3 however if this is likely to cause difficulty for your members we would welcome suggestions on where it might be better located e.g. witness room/consultation room on Level 4.
We are distributing this information to keep members appraised of the ongoing situation.
Regards
Belfast Solicitors’ Association