Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-18 ============================================================ Garret Kelleher (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel Thar cheann Fhine Gael, cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Bille um an Dlí Coiriúil, an Dlí Sibhialta agus Cosaint (Forálacha Ilghnéitheacha), 2026. On behalf of the Fine Gael Group, I welcome all 75 sections of the Bill before us today and the consequential amendments that will be made to existing Acts in the areas of criminal law, civil law and defence. Parts 2 and 6 and section 71 all relate directly or indirectly to the Prison Service. Part 2 seeks to provide an exemption for prison officers to use incapacitant sprays in the course of their duties, amending the Firearms Act 1925 and the Prisons Act 2007, which was referred to by both the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and Senator Gallagher in their remarks. Part 6 relates to the increased scope and applicability of community service orders in lieu of imprisonment. Given that this morning the Irish Prison Service is operating with total numbers exceeding capacity by 24%, including the highest rates of overcrowding in the prisons for women, in Mountjoy and Limerick, with Limerick Women's Prison operating at 164% of capacity or, in other words, 92 women in custody with a bed capacity of 56, the proposal to increase the scope and applicability of community service orders will help in this regard where appropriate. Section 71 relates to an amendment to the Prisons Act and to a proposed increase in the time threshold for the possible deportation or removal of a prisoner. Parts 5 and 11 are related to international co-operation. This is something we discussed yesterday afternoon in relation to opting in and the importance of international co-operation in our laws to strengthen law enforcement at a national level. Part 5, which amends the Extradition Act 1965, is an important step in increasing the powers of An Garda Síochána to provisionally arrest, without a warrant, persons named in Schengen Information System, while part Part 7 relates to improved co-operation with the International Criminal Court. Both are important steps. Briefly, I will make reference to part 13 in particular to use it as an opportunity to commend the collaborative work by our colleague Senator Harmon and, indeed, Senator Stephenson with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. The result of the collaborative work in introducing two new offences in the exploitative practice of sex for rent is an important progressive step and is an excellent example of the co-operation that exists, particularly when suggested progressive steps of this nature come from the Opposition. That is very important. As has been alluded to and referenced by a number of contributors today, I also welcome Part 15 of the Bill, which provides for the disregarding of historical convictions relating to the consensual sexual activity of gay men which, again, is a belated acknowledgement of the wrongs of previous legislation. It is an important step. On the whole, I would like to commend and compliment the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and all those with whom he worked in putting together this wide-ranging and progressive Bill, which has the full support of the Fine Gael group. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-18/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:05+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-06-18