Adams' response 'sleight of hand'

Amy Adams.
Amy Adams.
Justice Minister Amy Adams believes Dunedin's temporary court buildings are working well, despite claims to the contrary from the New Zealand Criminal Bar Association.

In a letter to Mrs Adams last month, the association requested some court services be returned to the parts of the historic Stuart St site not considered an earthquake risk.

Association vice-president Len Andersen, of Dunedin, said at the time the temporary High St facility was too small, forcing children to mingle with ''criminal clientele'' and forcing the postponement and cancellation of court fixtures.

Mr Andersen received a response from Mrs Adams last week.

In it, she said the High St and Princes St temporary court facilities offered more courtrooms than the historic courthouse had.

She also denied fixtures had been rescheduled because of a shortage of courtrooms.

She said High St's temporary courthouse included two secured interview rooms which met current design standards, while the building's single entry point - a feature lawyers had criticised as it brought family court attendees into close contact with criminal court attendees - was common in most New Zealand courts.

Mrs Adams said she had toured the High St courthouse and spoken to Ministry of Justice staff who had all ''spoken highly of the new accommodation''.

''I observed tidy, well laid out work areas with no signs of any shortage of space.''

Mr Andersen said yesterday the response was ''all sleight of hand''.

He said the minister was including tribunal rooms in John Wickliffe House in her list of available courtrooms, but his understanding was those rooms were not available as courtrooms.

He said the minister had not answered the association's main question: why some services could not be moved back to the safe parts of the Stuart St complex.

Mr Andersen said he would be investigating claims made in the minister's response before he replied.

craig.borley@odt.co.nz

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