THE Ministry of Justice says it is working to minimise the disruption caused by Wednesday’s fire which razed a building at 79 Duke Street, downtwon Kingston, that houses the Corporate Area Coroner’s Court and the Family Court Attendance Centre.

The ministry said its objective is to have both institutions resume service to the public as soon as possible, and that it is actively seeking to put in place alternative arrangements.

In the meantime, members of the public with matters at the Corporate Area Coroner’s Court are being asked to report to the Corporate Area Civil Court, which is located at Sutton Street, on the scheduled dates for their matters pending any further public announcement.

The ministry has already engaged the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) to have the new permanent location for the Corporate Area Coroner’s Court, sitiuated at 2A Hagley Park Road, Kingston 10, fit for purpose as soon as possible.

“We are now trying to secure an interim location for the Corporate Area Coroner’s Court while that work proceeds,” the ministry said in a release, yesterday.

The Attendance Centre operates as a non-residential rehabilitation centre for young people 12-18 years old, who have dropped out of the formal educational system and need to be assisted in the rehabilitation process, and assists in carrying out some of the Orders of the Family Court.

An alternate location for the provision of these important services is now actively being sought, the ministry said.

The Ministry of Justice said it considers these matters of significant importance and, accordingly, the emergency procurement methodology will be utilised in obtaining the required furniture and equipment. The ministry will also be using the procedure to expedite the renovation of the facility at Hagley Park Road for the relocation of the Coroner’s Court, along with the Corporate Area Traffic Court.

A timeline for completion will be established once all the necessary assessments have been done in light of the new situation occasioned by the fire.

The ministry said that the public should also note that, “contrary to certain erroneous media reports”, the Family Court has not been affected by the fire, and is still operational at 55a Duke Street.

“Indeed, the Attendance Centre’s eight staff members and part-time workers will operate from the Family Court, pending a new location being identified to house the Attendance Centre,” the release said.

Following Wednesday’s fire, permanent secretary in the ministry, Carol Palmer, told the

Jamaica Observer that the fire would mean delays in a number of court cases in the Corporate Area.

“This is a serious problem to the administration of justice and to the ability of persons to have access to justice. This is a major problem in an under-resourced justice system and a country going through fiscal constraints,” she stated.