The Minister of Justice made a statement in the Assembly on Monday 8th February 2016 on the “Rationalisation of the Court Estate”.
David Ford (The Minister of Justice):
“I wish to make a statement on my decisions following the consultation by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) on proposals to rationalise the court estate. Looking to the future, Northern Ireland requires a court estate that is capable of providing appropriate access to justice for its people and that has the capacity and flexibility to manage the changing landscape of court business, including the changes in business volumes. A rationalised court estate must be one that can be maintained and that, where possible, improves the facilities and services for court users by focusing available funding on a reduced number of venues. It must also be affordable in the long term. It is with those objectives in mind that the consultation was launched and that I made the decisions that I am announcing today….”