Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-25
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Catherine Ardagh (FF), Dublin South-Central

The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and I thank everyone for their consideration of the Bill. I welcome to the Seanad Chamber Jason Poole whom I had the honour of meeting today. On Second Stage the background to the Bill - its genesis in the brutal and senseless murder of an innocent young woman - was outlined by all. Senators of all parties and none praised the Poole family for their tireless campaign on behalf of their beloved Jennifer.
I take this opportunity to reiterate that those with serious criminal convictions for domestic violence offences should not be able to escape the consequences of their behaviour.
Those in relationships or considering entering into relationships with convicted offenders deserve to know about their past. They are entitled to make informed decisions about their personal lives. This legislation will provide people with important information in relation to their safety. Abusers thrive on secrecy and shame. However, it is a fundamental principle of our legal system that justice is to be done in public. This register will contribute to ensuring that criminal convictions for these heinous crimes are appropriately published. I look forward to today's debate.
I thank Senator Tully for submitting amendments Nos. 1 and 2 and for her contribution on them. However, I regret that I cannot accept them. Amendment No. 2 specifies that the court must be satisfied that:
(a) the consent of the victim is freely and voluntarily given,
(b) the victim has been provided with sufficient information and access to appropriate supports, including from specialist domestic violence services, to enable informed and safe decision-making, and
(c) such consent may be withdrawn at any time prior to the inclusion of the judgment in the Register.
Amendment No. 1 is a consequential amendment to ensure that the substance of amendment No. 2 is incorporated into section 2(d). While I have some reservations about the drafting, I want to focus in the first instance on the substance of the amendments. As the Senator outlined, specialist domestic violence services play a crucial role in providing support, assistance and help to victims. They are often a lifeline for people who find themselves in these harrowing situations and their services make a real and important difference to their clients.
The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, has been clear in his determination to address domestic violence and part of that determination means funding these vital services. For example, he allocated more than €3 million six months ago specifically for the expansion of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services. Cuan disbursed this funding to 67 organisations working in this sphere on foot of a rigorous assessment process. I fully understand and appreciate the importance of these organisations that work across the country. Nevertheless, I do not believe it is appropriate to include reference to them in the legislation. It is unclear what process a court could use to determine whether a victim had been provided with sufficient information and access to appropriate supports, nor is it clear what is required to enable informed and safe decision-making in this context or, for that matter, what constitutes informed and safe decision-making. For these reasons, I am unable to accept these amendments.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-25