The Central Criminal Court made history yesterday when it held its first sitting outside the Dublin area as part of an initiative to decentralise the activities of the courts.
The court, which sat in Limerick's newly refurbished €10 million courthouse, is expected to hear murder and rape trials in the area for the next two years.
The move is aimed at allowing cases to be heard locally and cutting waiting times for hearing serious criminal offences by freeing up space in Dublin's Four Courts.
Mr Justice Paul Carney described yesterday's sitting as a "very historic occasion" and said it would allow the jurors of the city and county of Limerick to make important decisions in respect of matters alleged to have occurred in their own area.
Twelve of the 47 cases before the Central Criminal Court involve alleged rape or murder cases in the Limerick area. So far this year, it is estimated that there have been 12 murders in the city.
There has been a serious backlog in cases heard at the Central Criminal Court due to the number of High Court judges involved in tribunals and reports commissioned by the Government.
However, average waiting times have been reduced from two years to 14 months in recent times and are expected to be reduced further to three months in the coming years.
This follows the assignment of four High Court judges to permanent duties in the Central Criminal Court and a number of procedural changes which have speeded up the administrative process leading to a trial.
A spokesman for the Courts Service said the benefit of having the Central Criminal Court in Limerick was that it was less disruptive to many people, such as locally based gardaí, who would have to travel to Dublin for long periods.
Limerick's refurbished courthouse is being hailed an example of the courthouses of the future. It features private consultation rooms, a victim support room and a special family law suite.
It also links into a national courts computer system which speeds up administration and allows court officials to collate statistics.
Mr Gerry McCague, chief clerk of Limerick Circuit Court, said the new facility was very impressive and had been enthusiastically welcomed by staff and those using the courts.
The refurbishment is part of a seven-year €100 million capital building programme which was launched recently following sustained criticism of the state of some of the country's courts.
Twenty-five courts have already been refurbished, 20 have been "substantially upgraded", while improvements are being carried out on around 100 others.
The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, will also receive a major report next week aimed at speeding up other aspects of the judicial system.
A working group, headed by Mr Justice Nial Fennelly, has drawn up the proposals, described by one source as the "widest examination of the criminal courts since the foundation of the State", following the examination of submissions from a range of interest groups.
Another milestone in the history of the judicial system will be reached next Monday when the last ledger used for the administration of €800 million funds in the courts will be closed. A centralised accounting system will be officially switched on and anyone benefiting from family law payments will receive an annual update on the status of their monies. A team of asset managers will also invest funds in order to maximise the return on funds in the court system rather than leaving them in deposit accounts.
