At least €3 million has been saved in the first year of hearings at Cloverhill Courthouse which is next to a remand prison, the Courts Service announced yesterday.
In a statement, the Courts Service said that so far, the Cloverhill Courthouse had dealt with 12,000 appearances. This had meant 12,000 less escorts to organise.
Yesterday, the courthouse was officially opened by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue. The court began hearing District and High Court cases last year. It is a specially constructed facility adjacent to Cloverhill remand prison in Clondalkin, west Dublin, the State's largest penal institution. It was designed to cut out the time and logistics of transporting people held on remand, to courthouses all over the State.
The facilities include two courtrooms and judges' chambers, secure interview rooms and legal practitioners' rooms as well as holding cells and a tunnel connection to the prison.
The Courts Service, which funded the project, said having the courthouse adjacent to the prison meant that in the first year there were 12,000 fewer escorts to organise.
"This has resulted in far less disturbance to the prison routine, less disruption for prisoners," the statement said.