The Gazette 1975

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 n we are in a position to have a local venue for local Dis- rict Court matters.

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

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 .198