The Courts Service says it's not possible for juries to be accommodated at sittings of Tralee Circuit Criminal Court.
This was revealed following a question from Kerry Sinn Féin TD and solicitor Pa Daly, who posed a question about Tralee Courthouse during a recent Dáil debate.
Some Kerry court cases have been heard in Limerick and Cork in recent times due to COVID-19.
Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, James Browne says the Courts Service examined the facilities in Tralee Courthouse.
It found that under the current 2 metre social distancing requirements, the jury courtroom in Tralee can't accommodate the required numbers of people to run a circuit criminal court trial.
The Junior Minister says venues where trials can't be run, such as Tralee, will still be used in the interim for civil and family law matters, as well as criminal business in the District Court.
He said several options for providing improved courthouse accommodation for Tralee remain under consideration, to ensure a full range of services in state-of-the-art facilities for the people of Kerry.
The future of the 19th century courthouse on Ashe Street in Tralee has long been speculated about, with modern, wheelchair accessible facilities needed.
Tralee councillors recently called for a meeting with the new Justice Minister to voice concerns about some Kerry court cases being heard in Limerick and Cork in recent times due to COVID-19.
