Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-25
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Pauline Tully (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel

I move amendment No. 11:
In page 5, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:
“(ai) section 2, where the offence is committed against a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant or person in an intimate relationship;”.
The register is currently limited to indictable offences, including that of coercive control, and that is welcome. However, many cases of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence are also reflected across certain summary proceedings. For instance, while domestic violence orders originate in family law proceedings, a breach under section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018, though at present solely summary, constitutes a criminal offence prosecuted within the criminal justice system. These breaches are critical indicators of escalating risk, particularly where repeated breaches occur and their exclusion may omit key information relevant to assessing ongoing dangers. That is why I am proposing that an offence under section 3 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 and offences under section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act be included.
This proposal is confined to two specific offences that are uniquely indicative of ongoing repeated risk in domestic violence context rather than proposing a general expansion to summary offences. While breaches of domestic violence orders occur with some frequency, the inclusion of only those cases resulting in conviction and judicial consideration for publication ensures that the volume of published judgments remains controlled. I wish to draw attention to some personal experience of this. Where somebody commits a very serious assault or crime against a partner and, for summary, the Garda pursue the conviction, possibly for the attempt to kill or a section 4 assault, but then when it goes to the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, and due to plea bargaining or whatever, it is reduced to a section 3 or section 2 assault. While a reduced section 2 assault is a very serious assault, it is not included in the Bill. In that case, there should be some consideration given to including section 2 assaults where they have been plea bargained or reduced for that reason.

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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