Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister David Ford has announced the closure of five further courthouses in a bid to balance the books of the cash-strapped Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS).

Mr Ford told MLAs yesterday that it was “no longer feasible to continue to manage the estate in its current form”.

In addition to the closure of Limavady courthouse, which was announced in 2012, the Armagh, Ballymena, Lisburn, Magherafelt and Strabane courthouses will be closed.

The Enniskillen courthouse will become a hearing centre, remaining open on the days when a court is sitting and will otherwise be closed.

Mr Ford has asked NICTS to develop an implementation plan to allow the programme of closures to take place this Summer.

John Guerin, president of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, said the closures “will cause greater disruption, inconvenience and unnecessary stress to court users and those seeking access to justice”.

He added: “The reality is that a reduced court infrastructure will mean an increased volume of cases being spread across a more limited range of court venues resulting in the potential for overcrowding and delays of business.

“Instead of serving to improve the efficiency of the justice system and protect access to justice, it will undermine the effectiveness of the system and leave those that need it most without access to their local court.

“This will be most evident in rural communities where access to public transport services is limited, incomes are lower and levels of unemployment and social deprivation levels are much higher.

“The ‘real’ impact on court users who do not have their own transport, who are on low incomes, who will be forced to move to a different courthouse away from their support network and travel expenses cannot be measured in efficiency or monetary savings.”

Mr Ford told MLAs that the funding allocation for the NICTS had been reduced by £45 million, or 10.8 per cent, since 1 April 2014.

Raising the prospect of further cuts, he said: “Over the past two years, NICTS has reduced the number of staff posts by 77, or 10.5 per cent, relocated the Coroners Service, the Enforcement of Judgements Office, the Tribunal Hearing Centre and the Parole Commissioners from leased premises to other existing accommodation; reduced the size of its senior management team; streamlined its corporate services function; and reduced the costs associated with contracted services.

“However, those measures alone will not be sufficient to allow the service to operate within budget in future years.”