Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) (Work Equipment) Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-18
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PJ Murphy (FG), Agricultural Panel

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach and I thank the Minister for coming in for this. I am very grateful for the opportunity to address the House on the principles of this Bill, which I introduced in this House last month. Its purpose is to amend the Criminal Justice Act to make specific provision for sentencing for certain offences related to the theft of tools and supplies used in the course of one's business. This Bill would introduce a mandatory minimum sentence of 36 months imprisonment for the theft of tools, equipment and materials essential to a person's trade, with no more than 18 months of that sentence permitted to be suspended. This is a targeted and proportionate response to a problem that has grown into a systemic issue that undermines the ability of tradespeople to earn a living.
Let us look for a second at the scale and impact of tool theft. The tradesmen and women of Ireland are the backbone of our construction industry. Over the past decade, we have seen a marked increase in tool theft right across the country. This Bill seeks to restore a fair balance between the devastating consequences suffered by the victims of these crimes and the penalties handed down to those who commit them. When a tradesperson's tools are robbed, people are not simply taking something of monetary value; they are depriving a person of the ability to go out and earn a living the very next morning. You are preventing them from fulfilling the commitments they have made to their clients and customers. In a construction sector that is currently booming, where we need skilled tradespeople in every corner of this country, the loss of their tools stops them from doing the work that keeps Ireland moving and building homes and infrastructure that we so urgently need.
I have worked in the construction sector as a joiner for the past 20 years. I, too, have been a victim of tool theft. I know that feeling when you walk out to your van and realise that everything you need to finish your job that day and do your job for the rest of the week is gone. I know many other tradespeople from right around this country who have contacted me over the past number of weeks who have had very similar or the same types of experiences. This is not an abstract issue. It is happening to real people every week in every county.
There is a systemic pattern of targeted theft involved. What we are dealing with here is not a series of isolated incidents. It is often a systemic pattern of targeted theft and tradespeople are uniquely vulnerable to it. These crimes happen in the two places where people should really feel the safest: the place where they work and at their homes. More and more, these thefts are taking place in broad daylight, in the middle of the working day, while tradespeople are on-site earning their living. Their vans parked outside the site are often, maybe, only a few metres away from the site yet the theft goes completely unnoticed until it is too late. Again, whenever they return home after a long day's work, they face the same risk. Many of these robberies occur outside the homes of tradespeople, while they sleep, with thieves operating quickly, quietly and with a level of organisation that just shows how targeted these attacks have become.
In a series of recent thefts in Galway, gardaí believe that thieves are deliberately targeting vans near local accommodation where tradespeople are staying while working on projects. This shows a level of planning and co-ordination that goes far beyond opportunistic crime and highlights just how organised and deliberate these thefts have become. Tradespeople have very little protection against it. The Garda has issued practical advice like do not leave tools in a van overnight or, if people have to, park the van with the back door up against the wall or a building, or something like that, to stop the van from being opened. The Garda also advises the use of an engraving tool to mark your name or to put a unique mark on your tools. While this advice is sensible, the reality is that the burden of prevention is falling entirely on the victims, not on the perpetrators and despite these precautions, the thefts continue.
Research shows that seven in ten tradespeople have had tools stolen.
This means it is not a remote possibility but a probability. It is something most tradespeople will experience at least once in their career and, unfortunately, many will experience it multiple times.
Let us look for a second at the human and economic consequences of tool theft. As a joiner, I have been involved in the training of several apprentices over the last 20 years. Young apprentices are the future of the sector and the construction industry. Many apprentices save for months, and even years, to buy their first set of tools. Some borrow money to get started. They build up their kit piece by piece and a single theft can wipe out everything they have invested, leaving them unable to work and forcing them to borrow again just to get back on their feet. Those starting out in the trade feel this vulnerability most sharply. For a young person beginning his or her career, it can be the difference between staying in the trade or deciding enough is enough and walking away from the job completely. Industry research indicates that roughly 30% of builders reporting having to take out a loan or borrow money to replace stolen tools. These are not small impacts but life-altering ones.
This comes at a time when the State urgently needs more skilled workers. Only last week, the Department of housing published a national framework for meeting priority construction workforce needs. It states clearly that "Ireland’s infrastructure ambitions are outpacing the construction sector's capacity to meet ... targets". It highlights labour shortages, intense competition for talent and rising costs. The stark reality is that even with only moderate productivity growth, the industry will need roughly 41% more workers by 2030 than we currently have working in it. How can we hope to increase the attractiveness of a sector that leaves its workers so exposed? How can we encourage young people into trades when they know everything they rely on to earn their living can be taken from them in minutes, with little consequence for the perpetrators?
This Bill is necessary because across the country we are seeing case after case where the punishment simply does not fit the crime. In County Laois a man who was recently convicted of tool theft received only a four-month prison sentence. In County Offaly a man convicted of stealing €1,500 of tools was given a fully suspended sentence. In my county of Galway there have been at least seven separate incidents of high-value tool theft over the last ten months alone. A case dating back to 2023 saw a man with 28 previous convictions for theft go on to steal nearly €20,000 of tools across four counties as part of a gang targeting work vans. When someone with 28 prior convictions feels emboldened to continue stealing tools it is obvious the current sentencing regime is not acting as a deterrent. The message being sent out is that you can repeatedly target tradespeople, repeatedly deprive them of their livelihoods and still face minimal consequences. This Bill sends a clear message that if you steal tools people rely on to earn a living, there will be serious consequences.
I would prefer if this legislation and legislation like it were not necessary but tool theft has become a scourge across Ireland. It is undermining our workforce, damaging small businesses and discouraging young people from entering trades at a time when the country needs them desperately in the sector. I am bringing forward this Bill to ensure justice is served. The punishment must fit the crime. These thefts have a deep and lasting impact on victims' lives and the law must reflect that reality. The Bill strengthens our response, supports our tradespeople and helps safeguard the future of our construction sector.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-18