Should your query relate to a court case you should contact the relevant court office. A comprehensive list of Court Offices nationwide can be found here.
Data Protection
We (the Courts Service) are collecting your personal information for managing your complaint in accordance with our Customer Service Charters and Policy on Management of Unacceptable Actions.
Your personal information will be handled in accordance with our obligations set out in our Privacy Statement.
Compliments, Comments and Complaints
We want to hear your feedback – good or bad – to help us ensure we are delivering a quality service to our users.
Compliments
To inform us about something we have done well, you can submit a compliment by:
- completing our Online Customer Comments Form
Complaints
The Courts Service makes every effort to ensure that the services we provide to our customers fully meet their needs and expectations and are delivered in a friendly, courteous and efficient manner.
However, on occasion the service provided may fall short of what you consider to be acceptable.
If you are not satisfied with the service received from the Courts Service, you should make your complaint as soon as possible by contacting the office manager of the relevant Courts Service Office. Where possible, he or she will try to rectify the situation without delay.
If you do not obtain a satisfactory result, or if for any reason you would prefer not to complain at the time, please complete the online form.
All complaints will be dealt with promptly and in an objective and courteous manner.
Alternatively, you may write to:
Customer Comments Co-ordination Office
The Courts Service
6th Floor
15/24 Phoenix Street North
Smithfield
Dublin 7
Courts Service commitments when dealing with formal complaints
We will resolve complaints, where possible, at the first instance.
We will acknowledge all complaints within 3 working days setting out the name and contact details of the officer investigating your complaint.
We will investigate all complaints and issue a reply to your complaint within 15 working days or, where this is not possible an interim reply will issue explaining the position and advising when a substantive response will issue.
The Courts Service will review complaints to identify any improvements that are needed in the overall service provided.
All complaints will be treated promptly, fairly, impartially and in confidence.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint
If, after receiving a decision on your complaint you feel the matter, has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you still have the right of appeal to the Office of the Ombudsman at;
Office of the Ombudsman
6 Earlsfort Terrace
Dublin 2
D02 W773
Tel: (01) 6395600
Complaints Email: complaints@ombudsman.ie
Website: https://www.ombudsman.ie/
What is not covered by the complaints procedure
Under the Constitution, judges are independent in the exercise of their judicial functions.
The conduct of a court case or decision made is a matter entirely for the judge and it is not open to the Courts Service to comment or intervene in any way in such matters.
Any decision, finding, judgement or ruling of the courts can only be addressed through the courts.
Quasi-judicial decisions made by officers of the court can only be appealed to the court. These would include decisions of County Registrars including their role as Under-Sheriffs, the Master of the High Court, the Legal Cost Adjudicators and other officers of the High Court exercising quasi-judicial functions. These officers are independent in the exercise of their quasi-judicial functions.
Complaints about legal professionals or other bodies must be addressed to the appropriate organisation.
