Commercial court cases are having to be heard in hotels and lawyers' offices because a suitable building cannot be found in Hamilton to permanently locate the courts.

Booth Hall, on Court Street, used to house Supreme Courts Four and Five, as well as the office of Puisne Judge Geoffrey Bell and some social services staff, but has had to be largely abandoned due to mould infestation.

The judiciary still has to use the building occasionally when all other courts are full but is also using "creative solutions", according to Supreme Court registrar Charlene Scott, "such as holding hearings in hotel conference rooms, or even in conference rooms in lawyers' offices, which is not very satisfactory".

She added: "I should stress that, despite these challenges, we have managed to avoid any backlog or delay in the hearing of commercial cases due to lack of accommodation. Cases are listed on the availability of the judges and counsels' schedules."

Ms Scott told The Royal Gazette the situation had changed little in the last couple of months. "We are still hanging on to Booth Hall as we occasionally need to use it when all the other courts are full," she said. "In the meantime we are actively exploring our options with the assistance of Works and Engineering."

She said one option was to re-house the courts in the Government Administration Building on Parliament Street but that was dependent on funding for a refit. In any case, the move would not take place until 2008.

Mr. Justice Bell, whose office used to be in Booth Hall, was temporarily based in Reid House but that arrangement has now ended and Works and Engineering are helping to search for an interim alternative for him.

A tribunal due to be held in Booth Hall in March had to be moved to another building after complaints were made about mould. That day, The Royal Gazette>spotted one court employee wearing a face mask.

A source told this newspaper: "Members of the public should not be in the building. You can smell it if you go into the downstairs court. The left hand side of building is the worst. The walls are wet."

Works and Engineering permanent secretary Derrick Binns said Booth Hall — which is rented by Government — was only used when absolutely necessary due to its condition, adding: "The Government is very concerned about the health and safety of all of its staff and of persons who need to visit places where we conduct business."

He added: "We have been aware of the condition of Booth Hall for some time. We are satisfied that it is not in a suitable condition. As it is not our building, it is not for us to close. Instead, we are seeking alternate accommodation. Once we have secured such accommodation we will no longer use it.

"Given the current market for office space, let alone space that is suitable for the judiciary's needs, it is a challenging task."