NLIS 24
March 21, 2005
(Justice)
Building services to improve
justice system
Justice Minister and Attorney General Tom
Marshall said today government is making strategic and sustainable investments
to enhance justice services with improvements in technology, infrastructure
planning, and security.
"Improvements to justice services, and developing strategies for future needs
demonstrate government�s commitment to ensure that we not only address services
for today, but also plan for tomorrow," said Minister Marshall. "We want to make
real and meaningful change in a responsible manner, and make our justice system
better by introducing modern innovative programs to improve services, and work
towards building new models for future justice needs."
Investments in Budget 2005 demonstrate government�s commitment to improvements
in the justice system. They include:
- Expansion of the RCMP Telecommunications
System which will improve police response time and delivery of service to
central Newfoundland. Budget 2005 provides $50,000 to prepare for
implementation, and beginning in 2006-07 annual costs of $635,000 for
ongoing equipment and operational costs. The expansion follows a Budget 2004
announcement to expand the system on the Avalon, Bonavista and Burin
Peninsulas.
- Planning for court infrastructure needs with
a $400,000 capital funding commitment for a planning and design phase for a
new Supreme/Provincial Court building in Corner Brook.
- Improved access to courts in the province
with the introduction of a $124,100 video-conferencing pilot-project for
seven Supreme and Provincial Courts in locations to be determined.
- A $183,000 Court Security program for
Supreme and Provincial Courts in Corner Brook and Provincial Court in
Stephenville.
- The provision of $26,900 in funding support
for enhancements to the current Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System for
Support Enforcement. These enhancements will enable payers of support to
access timely, automated information relative to their account, which should
enable staff to address enforcement issues in a more timely manner.
"These initiatives show a strong commitment from
government to provide a more disciplined and organized approach to ensure secure
justice services for residents of the province," Minister Marshall said. "These
investments will be closely monitored and evaluated, with a hope to expand
video-conferencing and court security services to other court facilities in the
future."
Media contact: Heather MacLean, Communications, (709) 729-6985, 690-2498
2005 03 21
3:20 p.m. |