The Gazette 1975

rely heavily on public transport from these satelite

communities to the City centre, and, where such public

transport does exist, it is slow and inconvenient, and

certainly in recent years, expensive.

(4) Again we stress the fact that the tendancy in

Dublin City and County is to concentrate communities

in self sufficient satelite developments which contain

within the development adequate shopping facilities

adequate open space and sporting facilities, adequate

community facilities such as communal meeting places,

parks, etc. thus obviating the necessity for the sub-

urban dweller to travel far in pursuit of shopping and

other facilities. It is our opinion that it is the duty

of the State to ensure that these facilities are provided

to the members of the satelite communities in the

same way as ?,11 the other facilities namely to be

availed of in the area where the satelite dweller

resides.

It is our opinion that the whole administative area

of South County Dublin should be transferred to the

part of Dublin Metropolican District of which Dun

Laoghaire Court forms a part. We would point out

(a) that there are adequate and indeed excellent Court

facilities in Dun Laoghaire and (b) there is direct

public transport to Dun Laoghaire both by bus and

train from all the satelite communities in the area, (c)

It is common knowledge that the Bray District Court

Lists are very heavily congested and the District Court

Office in Bray is grossly overworked. The transfer into

the Dun Laoghaire Court of that part of South County

Dublin now in the Bray Court area (Shankill) would

relieve the Bray Court Lists and the Office. This

would give effect to a resolution of the Wicklow Bar

association which requested the Minister for Justice

to transfer part of South County Dublin now in the

Bray Court Area to the Dublin Metropolican District

or to a Court Area for South County Dublin. It is

also quite clear that there is sure to be a considerable

increase in litigation in South County Dublin not alone

by virtue of the increase in the jurisdiction of the Dis-

trict Court but also with the growth of a satelite town-

land Ballybrack and major development proceedings

at the monent at Loughlinstown, Hacketsland and Kil-

liney. Indeed we would go so far as to suggest that a

Circuit Court should be held each session in Dun

Laoghaire as was formerly the case with the Recorders

Court.

Since the meeting, sittings of the District Court have

been held twice weekly in Dun Laoghaire and the

District Court has now jurisdiction in all matters. This

has already demonstrated its usefulness and an exam-

ination of the volume of business which has been trans-

acted by the Dun Laoghaire District Court since its

jurisdiction has been increased, will bear out our con-

tentions. We would like to avert to the fact that twice

weekly sittings of Dun Laoghaire Court with full

jurisdiction reverts back to 1934 up to which time

Dun Laoghaire District Court sat permanently with

full jurisdiction and in fact a Childrens Court sat from

1943 until the establishment of the Childrens Court

in Dublin Castle. Another matter which we consider

is of great importance to the general public is that

where there is a District Court Office full time operat-

ional in the Dun Laoghaire areas, members of the

general public can more readily seek the advice and

assistance of the Court Clerk and his staff in relation

to the various different problems which confront the

layman wh en dealing with District Court litigation

without the help of a Professional Practitioner. It

again is common knowledge that members of the pub-

lic resorting directly to the District Court Offices

whether in Dublin or in any of the other centres

receive instruction and assistance on the practice and

procedures in the District Court from the Clerk and

his staff. To deprive the very large local section of the

community of this facility and to make it necessary

for them to go into Dublin to make simple enquiries

regarding the conduct of litigation in the District

Court would be to impose a very great hardship in-

deed upon them and would probably make it neces-

sary for them to consult local practitioners about mat-

ters which could quite easily and simply be explained

to them in the District Court Office. While it is not

intended to detract from the service which the practi-

tioners provide to members of the general public should

have the facility of going to the Local District Court

Office with simple enquiries so that they may judge for

themselves more readily whether it is necessary for

them in any particular case to consult a Solicitor or

whether their problems are ones simple of resolution

and not necessary to place in the hands of a Legal

Practitioner.

From the point of view of the practitioners them-

selves, we would point out that we are in practice in

the South County Dublin area to give service to the

large local communities in our area. We can give this

service more efficiently and more econmically in so

far as District Court litigation is concerned w h e

are in a position to have a local venue for local Dis-

rict Court matters.

Yours faithfully,

GABRIEL HAUGHTON,

on behalf of practitioners in Dun

Laoghaire and South Dublin.

Herr Walter G. Popp,

9 Blumenthalstrasse,

D - 85 Numberg,

West Germany.

Dear Sirs,

During the course of my so-called "Referendarceit"

(which in some respects amounts to being an articled

clerk with an English Law firm) I have the opportunity

of spending three months with a foreign solicitor, pend-

ing approval of my superiors. My salaries during this

period will be paid by my German employer (i.e. the

government of Bavaria).

Accordingly, I would like to spend those three

months in Dublin with an Irish law firm. Whereas I

would find it particularly rewarding to be with a firm

specialising in either the law of the European Com-

munity or any aspect of "radical Lawering", I am

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