Written question asked by Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party) on Monday, 21 April 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 April 2008. It was answered by Bridget Prentice (Labour) on Thursday, 24 April 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Courts: Limavady

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the future of Limavady Courthouse; and what complaints have been received from users of the courthouse in the last 12 months.

Answer: There have been no complaints regarding the service provided at Limavady Courthouse over the last 12 months.The Northern Ireland Court Service is developing proposals to establish 'hearing centres' at a number of court venues including Limavady Courthouse. Hearing centres would open on court sitting days and court office services would be available only on those days.During 2007 Limavady Courthouse had on average one court sitting each week and a recent survey indicated that on average two people per day visited the court office.The proposals to introduce hearing centres are intended to make more efficient use of court resources. These proposals will be subject to full public consultation before any final decisions are made.

Secondary information