Judiciary gets more $$ in 2024 budget

The Judiciary’s allocation in the national budget has again increased for 2024, with an additional $76 million portioned out for enhancing service delivery, reducing case backlog and dealing with delays in the justice system.

The fiscal 2024 allocation is $750, 660,540, according to the draft estimates, up from 2023’s allocation of $674,652,000.

Statistics from the Ministry of Finance have shown a consistent increase in the allocation over the past seven years, averaging 0.99 per cent of the national budget.

Chief Justice Ivor Archie has repeatedly advocated for financial autonomy for the Judiciary.

In fiscal 2024, $98.2 million has been set aside under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

Projects include building and completingtwo duplexes for staff in Tobago and the construction of the Chief Justice’s official residence: $3 million has been set aside for this, according to the PSIP 2024.

In 2023, the Judiciary said the official residence for Trinidad and Tobago's most senior judge was expected to cost $4, million and was scaled down considerably. It will be built on a smaller piece of land at Hayes Street, St Clair,

The PSIP 2024 said of the $4 million allocation in 2023, $200,000 was spent on the final set of design, architectural, structural and civil drawings completed, with the final tender documents being prepared. Now, $3 million will be spent to complete the project.

Also expected in 2024 is the repurposing of the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain, with $17.8 million for work on 31 courtrooms, reconfiguring spaces for staff and repairing a leaking facade and roof.

The Tobago Supreme Court will receive $2.7 million for upgrades and $12 million will be spent to refurbish 13 district courts and provide specialised domestic violence, small claims, petty civil, sexual offences and drug treatment courts.

Also expected are courtroom upgrades and building a district court in Sangre Grande. The PSIP 2024 says $7 million will be allocated for a comprehensive security system for the nation’s courts; $4.9 million for continued renovations at the Port of Spain magistrates’ court to upgrade its electrical and air-conditioning systems, repair roof leaks, replace substandard building material and repaint the building inside and out.

An additional $10.2 million, the PSIP 2024 said, will be provided to upgrade the San Fernando Supreme Court and $4 million for the Family Court, to establish one in Arima and expand the one in Port of Spain. The Family Court in Tobago will also be reconfigured to house a domestic violence courtroom and a virtual access customer centre (VACC).

The same amount will be apportioned to the Children’s Court for ongoing work on existing buildings in the north and south and configuring and outfitting one in Tobago.

Another $4 million will be invested to improve court facilities at the O’Meara Judicial Centre, Arima, for jury trials, and for VACCs across TT, as well as establishing virtual interfaces for specialised courts, such as the sexual offences, human trafficking and gun-related offences courts in the High Court.

Of the $98.2 million PSIP allocation, the Judiciary will also get $6 million to complete a permanent structure for its virtual courts at the remand yard of the Golden Grove prison in Arouca, which will have eight video conferencing rooms, 14 VACC rooms and a staff facility.

The 2024 PSIP said the government continued to be guided by nine priority areas under its national development strategy – Vision 2030 – for 2021-2025.

It said emphasis will be placed on employing a multi-dimensional approach to the critical issue of citizen safety and security.

The PSIP 2024 is expected to be financed through general revenues totalling $5,955.4 million, or 95.8 per cent, while $236.2 million, or four per cent, will be drawn from external sources such as loans and grants, the document said.

A major source of loan financing will be drawn from the Inter-American Development Bank, totalling $262.7 million.

It said for 2024, critical areas for priority funding included the police, the Ministry of National Security and the Judiciary, for the “strengthening of national security and the criminal justice systems and structures” to reduce criminal activities.