NOTICE OF PLAN TO CONDUCT COURT BUSINESS TAKING IN TO ACCOUNT HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS ARISING FROM COVID 19.
Regular business in the District Court will resume from 1st September 2020. Business must be conducted in accordance with public health guidelines. This means changes to the administration of the business of the court will be necessary to ensure public safety.
Court business for the District Court Area of Thurles will be conducted at the Courthouse, Thurles. Court business for the District Court Area of Nenagh will be conducted at the Courthouse, Nenagh. Court business for the District Court Area of Tipperary will be conducted at the Courthouse, Nenagh until further notice.
The numbers that may be present in court venues will be limited to the number that can be safely accommodated in accordance with social distancing guidelines. Accordingly, court business will be allocated specific time slots. Call over lists will be introduced to schedule specific times for cases requiring full hearings. This will include virtual call over lists where appropriate. On any day where the numbers attending the court venue are likely to exceed the number that can be safely accommodated in accordance with social distancing guidelines, those persons not actually necessary to the conduct of the cases before the court will be requested to leave. The principle that the administration of justice be conducted in public will be upheld by the right of the Press to attend court.
In compliance with current public health guidelines on social distancing, the Courts Service has carried out an assessment of the capacity in Thurles and Nenagh Courthouses.
Thurles Courthouse:
Foyer-4
Court No.1 (including the judge and registrar)- 23
Court No.2 (including the judge and registrar)- 15
Nenagh Courthouse:
Foyer- 20
Court No.1 (including the judge and registrar) -21
Court No.2 (including the judge and registrar)- 19
Court No.3 (including the judge and registrar)- 11
Those attending court are requested to observe public health guidelines regarding social distancing, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette and use of face coverings while in the court venue.
Cases standing adjourned due to Covid 19, will resume from 1st September 2020. Relevant court users will be notified by the Courts Service or their Solicitors or the relevant Prosecutor of the date and time when they will be required to re-attend court.
The conduct of court business will be constantly reviewed in line with public health guidelines and any changes that may be required due to health and safety concerns will be notified to court users.
In addition, the method of scheduling court business adopted in this plan will be reviewed in 2021 to assess its efficiency.
For further details, contained in a General Notice on the Legal Diary, Click here