Justice Ministry Hands Over Family Court in St. Ann’s Bay
By: , September 5, 2024
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Minister of Justice, Hon Delroy Chuck (fourth right) and Chief Justice, Hon. Mr. Justice Bryan Sykes (fourth left), cut the ribbon to officially hand over the renovated St. Ann Family Court building to the Court Administration Division (CAD), on Wednesday (September 4), in St. Ann’s Bay. Also taking part are (from left) Judge of the Court of Appeal, Justice Davis Fraser; Custos of St. Ann, Hon. Norma Walters; Permanent Secretary in the Justice Ministry, Grace Ann Stewart McFarlane; Chief Executive Officer of the CAD, Tricia Cameron Anglin; Senior Parish Court Judge, Her Hon. Mrs. Yvette Wentworth-Miller, and Chief Judge of Parish Courts, His Honour Chester Crooks.
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, addresses the handover ceremony for the renovated St. Ann Family Court, in St. Ann’s Bay, on Wednesday (September 4).The Full Story
Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, officially handed over the St. Ann Family Court to the Court Administration Division in St. Ann’s Bay, on Wednesday (September 4).
The renovation of the facility was funded under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Financing Agreement with the Ministry.
The court is a modern two-storey facility that will allow for the privacy and sensitivity required when dealing with matters involving children as well as members of a family.
It fulfils the requirements under the Disabilities Act, 2014 and also provides accommodation for the various occupational groups operating in the space.
At the handover ceremony, Mr. Chuck outlined that the Government continues to work on the island’s court facilities; however, it has to adhere to procurement guidelines, which often prolong the process.
“We have been trying to fix the courts and to build new ones, but there’s a thing known as procurement. The public would not be aware, but any expenditure in government requires procurement. If you want a tin of paint, you have to get three quotes from the different hardware stores, from the different supplier; a tin of paint. So, something that should take minutes, could take days; things that should take days, take months; things that should take weeks, take years,” he outlined.
The Minister stated that over the last few years “we constantly have unexpended funds that we return to the Consolidated Fund, because we are unable to spend it to improve the facilities in the courts”.
“The monies are there to really ensure that we get to an ideal position in the courts, so that the judges and the litigants and everyone who uses the court can see and have justice delivered, not only in a timely manner but in comfort and with convenience,” Mr. Chuck said.
He pointed out that while a few courts across the island have been rehabilitated, there are many others to be fixed and others to be constructed, adding that the Government has the resources to ensure that this is done.
For his part, Chief Justice, Hon. Mr. Justice Bryan Sykes, underscored the importance of the court, noting that it should be replicated in other parishes without specialised courts.
“The variety of services offered here are not offered in the regular parish courts. The regular parish courts, they pick up the family matters, because of the absence of a specialised family court and, therefore, they do the best that they can, and that is normally reduced or restricted to simply the adjudicated part of it,” Mr. Sykes said.
He further pointed out that Ministry’s Justice Centre, which is located next door to the facility, will play a vital role in the Family Court, as it forms an important part of ‘therapeutic justice’.
The renovation of the Family Court forms part of the plan to upgrade four court facilities, which included the Manchester Family Court, which was handed over in 2021.