Screens in court hallways and in the bar of the Four Courts showing which cases are being heard in which court; cafes and perhaps creches in certain court buildings; a website explaining how to get a barring order or sue your neighbour - these are among the changes about to be introduced into the court system.
They form part of a package which includes the establishment of the new Courts Service which will take over the running of the courts from the Department of Justice. The transitional board and the chief executive-designate, Mr P.J. Fitzpatrick, are now preparing for its establishment, which is expected in the autumn.
The service has arisen from a series of reports on the courts by a commission chaired by Mrs Justice Susan Denham. The first proposed an independent Courts Service to administer the courts, and legislation was introduced to bring this into being.
The remaining five reports, which cover a wide range of subjects including areas such as family law, will provide the agenda for the work of the Courts Service for the next few years. The Courts Service Board will have a budget of £9 million this year for upgrading courts or building new ones, and £4 million for maintenance. It is also spending £11 million on a new information technology system, which will transform the availability of information on the courts, cases and judgments, and includes a web site, expected to be up and running by the end of this month.
There will also be a capital programme for the courts extending over the next five to seven years.
The refurbishment will include private consulting rooms, media facilities and facilities for family law litigants, including, if possible, a creche in a designated family court building in Dublin and, where possible, cafes and comfortable waiting areas in court buildings.
In the massive labyrinthine Four Courts building in Dublin (which will have adjuncts in the surrounding buildings), screens will show where cases are being heard and there will be a map of the building, which could display the route to a required destination.
Mr Fitzpatrick stresses that the culture of the courts system is as important as the physical environment.
"Our aim must be to provide an environment in which all who come in contact with the courts, be they litigants, witnesses, jurors, barristers, solicitors, gardai, journalists or other professionals, will be able to conduct their business in an atmosphere of efficiency, dignity and civility," he says in a statement outlining his vision for the service.
For most people, who rarely enter a court, this means demystifying the whole courts system. The service will have a press and information office providing information both to the media and the public. It will also use information technology to answer queries from the public.
"The website will have a section on frequently asked questions," Mr Brendan Ryan, a member of the secretariat, says. "For example, people will be able to inquire about bankruptcy or look up how to get a barring order. It will be developed as we go along."
A section of the website will encourage children to participate. The service is also looking at the production of a video for schools, perhaps showing a mock court hearing.
"By its nature, the court system will always be adversarial, but it can be demystified so that if you do have to go to court as a litigant, a juror or a witness, it will not be totally new," Mr Fitzpatrick says. "We want to develop a charter for court users to be given to people when they go to court."
The Courts Service will be accountable, through the chief executive, to the Oireachtas, and Mr Fitzpatrick can be called to any of the Oireachtas committees. He stressed that this does not extend to judges' decisions, as judges remain independent and their status is not affected. They will remain appointed by the Government, while administrators of the courts, such as registrars, clerks and other officials, will be the employees of the Courts Service.
However, the judiciary has nominated representatives to the various committees which are looking at the development of court accommodation and the information technology service.
It is hoped this will allow them to amend court rules if this proves necessary to facilitate, for example, the lodging of documents through the website.
The judiciary has also agreed that judgments will be posted on the website. The Legal Diary, the bible for solicitors and the Chief State Solicitor's office, will be posted by Mount Argus Press on the website. This will be done before 5 p.m. on the day before the hearings, enabling solicitors and other interested parties to consult it before the close of office hours.
Among the representatives of court-users consulted by the transitional Courts Service have been the Rape Crisis Centre (its director, Ms Olive Braiden, is a member of the board) and Victim Support, but Mr Fitzpatrick is anxious to extend the consultation process. This could be done by asking jurors to fill in questionnaires or by random surveys of people leaving court.
When the interactive website comes on line, any member of the public will be able to send him an opinion on how the courts could be improved.