A review of the move to centralise the process of calling people for jury service has found that the initiative delivered savings of almost €300,000.

The finding is contained in a paper written as part of the 2020 spending review process, which was published by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath yesterday (5 November).

Fewer staff needed

The project led to a four-person team based in a new Jury Summons Unit in Castlebar taking on many of the administrative activities involved in calling people to serve on a jury. This work was previously carried out by staff in local offices in each county.

The report says non-pay savings of around €90,000 were made and six fewer full-time equivalent staff were required for the process, leaving them available to carry out other work.

The unit works in partnership with Revenue, and the report points to the advantages of engaging with other public bodies to reduce overall costs to the Exchequer.

Digital channels

The civil servants write that while the successful delivery of this project shows the Courts Service’s ability to improve work practices, there are “limitations” to the current solutions. These include the absence of digital channels of communication between the Courts Service and people called for jury service.

The Courts Service is aiming to address these issues as part of a plan to reform the overall approach to jury management.

The review adds, however, that any future project that aims to alter the way the Courts Service selects, notifies and manages people called to serve on a jury is likely to require legislative change, as the Juries Act 1976 still governs the process.