Kildare Solicitor Says Other Courthouses Are "Like The Taj Mahal" Compared To Naas

He has also called for the Justice Minister to meet the Law Society amid the ongoing legal aid dispute

A Kildare solicitor has said that other courthouses are "like the Taj Mahal or Adare Manor" compared to Naas.

He has also called for Justice Minister Jim O' Callaghan to meet with the Law Society amid the ongoing legal aid dispute

It comes as the dispute about the new flat-fee payment scheme is ongoing, after it's introduction in July.

A number of solicitors on the criminal legal aid panel have withdrawn their services, leading to widespread disruption as a result.

Yesterday (20 October), that was escalated as a number of cases were adjourned when solicitors ramped up their protest action.

The Justice Minister said he wanted solicitors to explain why cases involving allegations of rape were "deliberately affected" yesterday as a result.

He's due before the Oireachtas Justice Committee later, where he'll launch a strong defence of his changes earlier this year to the free legal aid system.

Jim O'Callaghan will tell TDs and Senators that the majority of legal aid cases are proceeding despite a walkout which escalated yesterday.

The Minister will also say he's deeply concerned that the only cases adjourned yesterday involved allegations of rape.

He'll argue the new system is working by reducing the number of appearances involved in free legal aid cases and speeding them up.

Speaking on Kildare Today, Tim Kennelly, principal of Tim Kennelly Solicitors in Naas says the Minister needs to meet the Law Society again:

"He needs to sit down and talk with them, they have been begging him to sit down with him, they have been asking him to sit down them to mediate.

"Sit down, have a conversation and see if you guys can come to an agreement, it's the lack of engagement and the burying the head in the sand that is aggravating the situation."

Minister O ' Callaghan had met with the Law Society previously, the meeting coming in late July.

Kennelly also was heavily critical of the courthouse conditions in Naas, remarking that it "beggars belief" that a county with Kildare's population has only one courthouse, which is "200 years old":

"The people of Kildare deserve to have a courthouse that is functioning better, it's not the fault of court staff, solicitors, gardaí or the judge.

"It's the fact we don't have a decent courthouse, I was in Wexford yesterday and it was like the Taj Mahal or Adare Manor compared to what we have. I'm talking about being able to deal with the amount of cases coming through.

"It's the equivalent of having one doctor in the county," he concluded.

The full interview can be heard below: