Justice Ministry seeking new location for fire-ravaged Coroner's Court

The Justice Ministry says it will be seeking to identify new locations from which the Family Court Attendance Centre and the Coroner’s Court can continue operations following last night’s fire at their Duke Street location.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Carol Palmer, says she’s expecting an interim report from the police today in relation to the fire.

She says as soon as the ministry gets the go ahead, the staff will assess what can be salvaged from the building.

Palmer says she’s also hoping the staff can begin the reconstruction of files on Monday.

Meanwhile, Palmer says the ministry has started discussions with the Urban Development Corporation regarding possible relocation sites:

Justice Minister, Senator Mark Golding says the situation highlights the need to move swiftly to ensure court files are saved on a computer-based system.

Golding also says the authorities will have to speed up plans to relocate the Coroner's Court from Duke Street to a location on Hagley Park Road in St. Andrew.