A judge is warning that the Courts Service could be prosecuted for breaching the Disability Act in relation to access in Tralee Courthouse.
The Disability Act 2005 states that public bodies must ensure that public buildings are accessible "as far as practicable" to persons with disabilities.
Tralee Courthouse is currently not wheelchair accessible.
Judge Brian O'Callaghan wrote to the Courts Service in November of last year, saying he sat in Tralee Courthouse recently and it raised the absolute urgency of securing a new courthouse for Kerry.
He said he had to transfer cases involving wheelchair users to both Killarney and Listowel as the only alternative was to have them lifted up the steps of the courthouse from the public street.
Judge O'Callaghan said the indignity alone visited upon one particular wheelchair user and their family “is an embarrassment to us all”.
He said the Courts Service may find itself as a defendant very soon in proceedings, which are bound to be launched by a challenged party or witness to proceedings.
The judge also said overcrowding is constant, with persons being dispatched to the street to return to court often wet and frozen.
He added that the proposal to group Tralee with the construction of new courthouses nationwide would be disastrous for Kerry, which he said must be treated as a standalone project.
The information was released to Radio Kerry following a Freedom of Information Act request.
