Courts are set to have their video and audio capabilities revamped with an injection of €1.6m into the technical side of the system which, among other things, will see the provision of video evidence in courtrooms of all hues overhauled.

The Courts Service is to contract for the provision of video evidence display and video link services, together with video jury call solutions and mobile evidence displays, with the winning bidder to provide “diagnosis and resolution of all support issues” related to the new hardware.

Video link technology has become of even greater importance to the courts since the advent of Covid-19 meant that all sittings were to be conducted on a socially distant basis, with many cases displayed on screens within empty courtrooms for the assembled media, while judges, barristers, and witnesses made their contributions remotely.

Former Chief Justice Frank Clarke acknowledged in April that while other countries had also adapted to the coronavirus crisis using remote technology, they were in many cases “coming from a significantly higher technology base than us”.

“While the precise level of restriction in place may be varied from time to time, the courts must plan against the likelihood that some form of restriction will remain in place for some time,” said the Courts Service at the time, indicating that cases of an urgent nature must be progressed at all costs.

The new contract will see support for court registrars “treated as priority one”, given that functionary’s role as the primary operator of all courtroom technology.

At the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, justices of the nine-person Supreme Court, in particular, had expressed reservations regarding future physical sittings due to the potential danger of one member infecting others.