Removing court sittings from Athenry and the overall downgrading of court services in East Galway is “disturbing” and “makes absolutely no sense”.
This is the view of Fianna Fáil Galway East TD Michael Kitt who said he was “dismayed” by confirmation from the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter that court sittings will no longer take place in Athenry from the beginning of next month. The announcement follows news that Ballinasloe Court House has already lost two staff members.
“This is an extremely disappointing decision and is further evidence of unbalanced cuts to public services in more rural areas,” said Dep Kitt. “It makes absolutely no sense to cut District Court services in our community.”
Dep Kitt was also concerned about the lack of rural representation on the Court Services Provisional Buildings Sub-Committee, the committee which has recommended the closure of some courthouses and removal of court sittings in certain locations.
“There is a disproportionate number due to close in more rural areas the west,” he said, “and this raises real concerns about how well the region is represented by those who make these decisions.”
Dep Kitt said such withdrawals of Government and public services will “further cause difficulties for the local economy”.
“While some businesses are forced to reduce activity or in some cases close altogether as a result of the economic downturn, there is no logic in the Government also pulling back from local communities,” he said.
Dep Kitt will be calling on Minister Shatter to publish a cost-benefit analysis of the decision by the Court Service to show the projected savings involved.
