Administration Building, Works and Engineering Minister the Hon. Leonard Gibbons said yesterday.

The room is at the south end of the Parliament Street building and was formerly used by telephone operators, Mr. Gibbons told The Royal Gazette .

Renovations were expected to cost $50,000 to $60,000, he added.

Planning permission would be required to install an exterior door, but it was expected work that would take about two months to complete could be underway by about April 1.

The setting up of a Family Court was announced in Government's Throne Speech earlier this month.

Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness said the court would evolve over time. "This is the embryo of the development of a complete Family Court,'' he said.

"I don't think this is something that a small jurisdiction can jump to in the first instance.'' Eventually, all family matters -- whether they were now handled at the Magistrates' or Supreme Court level -- would be handled in Family Court, Mr.

Edness said.

A judge who developed expertise in the area would deal with maintenance orders, custody and other domestic disputes, and matters affecting children.

"It is agreed by all that there ought to be a court that is separate so these matters can be handled in a different type of atmosphere,'' Mr. Edness said.

But cases of physical abuse -- be they against spouses or children -- would continue to be handled in the criminal courts, he said. "Abuse is abuse is abuse,'' and the word "domestic'' should be removed from "domestic violence,'' he said.

The budget for the new court had been discussed with the Ministry of Finance, but staffing would be up to the Chief Justice, he said.

Originally, there was talk of locating the Family Court on the lower floor of the Magistrates' Court building. But it was decided there was not enough space.