Lawyers campaigning for new Supreme Court facilities shouldn?t hold their breath ? Attorney General Larry Mussenden said he liked the plan, but it was on Government?s backburner.

Recently Chief Justice Richard Ground said Bermuda needed new facilities because civil courts four and five were dilapidated while another criminal Supreme court was needed to clear a year?s backlog of cases, was needed.

Yesterday Sen. Mussenden told the The Justice System Review Report ? a committee of top lawyers ? recently recommended a new Supreme Court complex at the site which runs along Court Street from Front Street to Reid Street.

The area currently houses Supreme Court Three, the Supreme Court Registry, Police Prosecutions and several other Government Departments.

He said: ?There has been talk about that location for some time.

?I prefer that location as a space that could be earmarked for a new Supreme Court Complex. There is a process for getting major capital works in the Government timetable, which to my knowledge is planned out almost seven years in advance.

?At the moment that process has not yet started, although I intend to embark on the work required to get such a complex, wherever it may go, on the timetable.

?There is an enormous amount of work that has to be accomplished way before a single hole is dug or plans are drawn up.

?The complex will have to fit in with the overall Capital Development plan that exists for all other Government projects.?

He said there was no decision on where it will go or when, nor was there an estimated cost.

?We will have to consider other measures to refit or replace the Booth Hall courtrooms or other premises.?

He did not specify what measures were planned but said the department would have to await budget approval for funding in the next budget year.

Bar Council president David Kessaram said the proposal to build new courtrooms has been discussed by this and previous Governments for some considerable time but the need was probably more acute than ever.

He said: ?Such a complex staffed with well trained, qualified and experienced personnel will go a long way to improving the administration of justice in Bermuda and will underscore the commitment of this country to providing our local and international communities with a first-rate system for resolving disputes.

?The importance to our local community of having a court system that is efficient, fair and just is obvious.

?What is not so readily perceived is that such a system is vital for our existing international business community and for our international reputation generally.

?It is to be hoped that the recommendations made by the Justice Review Committee and reiterated recently by the Chief Justice will be taken to heart.?

Shadow Attorney General Trevor Moniz said: ?I have been saying for a long time the infrastructure of the judicial system is in tatters.?

He said delays in justice caused by lack of facilities could lead to a lack of confidence in the legal system and breed a culture of vigilantes.

Mr. Moniz predicted the Supreme Court project would be in the pipeline for years because of other pressing claims to capital such as Berkeley and the National Sports Centre.