The Gozo Chamber of Advocates said Justice Minister Jonathan Attard has promised to address shortcomings being faced at the Gozo law courts.

The pledge was made on Friday in a meeting the chamber had with the minister, a chamber statement said.

In a press statement on Saturday, it was highlighted that these challenges include the lack of workers and court assistants at the Court of Gozo, the accumulation of unpaid taxes, delays in the notification system and the inadequate building of the Court inside the Cittadella.

Attard, according to the statement, said that he understood the challenges of the lawyers and promised to address these shortcomings in the shortest possible time.

He explained that there will be a reorganisation of the management of the Court in Gozo and that the problem of human resources will be addressed by engaging more workers.

The Minister also said that there will be some changes in the system of how notifications are made, the statement added.

It was also suggested that the accumulated taxes are to be worked by an officer who works the taxes in the Court of Malta.

The existing problem of the Court building was also discussed. The Chamber explained that the building as it is, is currently small for the growing number of cases.

Apart from that, the general public, with limited accessibility, is finding it difficult to use the services in the Court building due to the lack of lifts. Therefore, even though several promises were made in the past, the Chamber again asked that another building be identified as soon as possible so that it can be used as the Court of Gozo, and in the meantime, measures are to be implemented to the Court to make it more accessible.

The Gozo Chamber of Advocates welcomed the commitment that the Minister is promising and hopes that the reforms discussed will become a reality as soon as possible.