Flanagan to raise closure of Four Courts restaurant with Courts Service chief

Mr Flanagan had earlier come under pressure from the legal community to intervene in the closure plans.

The public restaurant, which has operated for more than 40 years and employs nine staff, is due to be closed at the end of this month. It is thought that the space will be used for offices.

A spokesperson for Mr Flanagan told The Irish Times: “While the catering arrangements are a matter for the Courts Service, the Minister does intend discussing the matter with the CEO in the next few days.”

Paul McGarry SC, chairman of the Bar Council, had said he was “very concerned about the effect [the closure] will have on people as a visit to the courts is never an experience without stress or difficulty”.

Director general of the Law Society, Ken Murphy, also said he had written to Mr Flanagan, calling on him to stop this “act of indifference to the public”.

A private restaurant, only for barristers, will remain open and so too will a small coffee shop.

An OPW spokesman said the closure was due to go ahead on 31 July “as agreed between both parties”.