It got millions of euro.

In 2009, the then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform announced that new statutory powers were to be given to An Garda Síochána to more effectively and efficiently monitor released sex offenders. Due to the lack of progress, in 2012 I published the Child Sex Offenders (Information and Monitoring) Bill 2012 to close the gaping loopholes in the monitoring of high-risk sex offenders. This Bill passed Second Stage in the House in 2013. Since I published that Bill to reform the monitoring of sex offenders in 2…

I thank the Minister. I am glad she mentioned the current law because a convicted sex offender released from Arbour Hill Prison this morning, can toddle down to O'Connell Street and put a letter in the post addressed to the Superintendent's office, An Garda Síochána, Bandon Garda station, Bandon, County Cork informing them they are going to reside at 55, Atlantic View, Malin Head, County Donegal. Once they are in that premises on one day in seven they are in compliance with the current law on sex offenders. The rea…

The difficulty is that the balance is entirely in the hands of the perpetrator at present. It is important to note that only one in ten sexual offences is reported and approximately one in 20 results in a conviction. Half of these convictions involve children. Even an effectively operating sex offender monitoring regime, therefore, will not address the total concerns of parents. However, the current system of keeping track of the location of sex offenders is just not working. As a consequence of these very lax moni…

Female genital mutilation, FGM, is a barbaric practice perpetrated on young girls. While the practice is concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, it is a universal problem which continues to persist among migrant populations living in Ireland. I would like the Minister to update the House on the practical measures being taken to eliminate this practice.

Based on UN estimates, two young girls have female genital mutilation performed on them every minute. In a majority of countries, girls are cut before the age of five. This is happening in Ireland and young girls have been taken out of Ireland to have this practice performed on them. It is estimated that 5,790 girls and women living in Ireland have experienced FGM. Some 2,639 girls may be at risk of being subjected to it. We need to stop this practice in the first instance and there needs to be a cross-departmental…

We need to send out a clear message that Ireland will not tolerate female genital mutilation under any circumstance, either in this jurisdiction or outside it. The most powerful step the Minister can take is to lead on this issue by bringing her other two Cabinet colleagues together and to sit down around a table and committing as three Ministers that they will drive the agenda forward on this. Nothing concentrates the minds of public servants more than the Ministers themselves being committed to an issue. I ask th…

On my Question No. 13, I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to bring in a pathway to long-term residency for undocumented people and their dependants within the next 16 months. I would like to know where are we with that process and what progress is being made.

I congratulate the new Aire Stáit, my county colleague, Deputy Frank Feighan, on his appointment and I wish him the very best of luck in his new role. The wording of the statutory instrument before us is, at best, ham-fisted in the approach that has been taken with it. The Government should withdraw it forthwith, redraft it and bring it back before the House because it is important that we have the support of the public and of communities across the country. There is no support for this particular draft of the stat…

Every year, more than 700 families are threatened with prosecution because their son or daughter has failed to attend school for well in excess of 20 days with no legitimate reason and where these parents have declined support and are unwilling to co-operate with the education welfare officer. However, after numerous contacts, one in four of these families are actually prosecuted. I question whether court, or the threat of court action, is the most appropriate way to deal with these families.

The law states that if a child is absent for more than 20 days without a legitimate reason such as illness, the case should be referred to Tusla. Sadly, however, due to the limited staffing resources, children have to miss multiples of the 20 days before a referral is made in the first place. Having said that, more than 6,000 children are referred each year to the Tusla Education Support Service. That is an average of 33 children referred every single school day. Would it not be better use of the 98 staff working w…

One primary school child in eight misses more than 20 days in school each year. This number is increasing rather than decreasing. In many cases it leads to disruption for the entire class and not just the child concerned. Three Government databases are involved in school attendance, namely, those of the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs through Tusla; and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, but they do not communicate with each other. Will the M…

Two-legged stools do not work.

I will be brief and speak to the amendment before us. I support the amendment tabled by Deputy Howlin and compliment him on identifying this weakness in the legislation. This is very draconian legislation. As the Minister knows, yesterday I said that we as members of the Regional Group will support this legislation as we did earlier in the vote. This drafting error highlighted by Deputy Howlin must be removed from the legislation. I hope the Government can give due consideration to the argument that has been made b…

I am sharing time with Deputy Canney. I apologise to the Ceann Comhairle for my error in regard to the scheduling of speaking times. It is really disappointing that such draconian laws need to be brought in to deal with a small handful of irresponsible proprietors of so-called restaurants and gastropubs. These premises are supposed to be operating on the basis of serving alcohol with food rather than putting a €9 plate of cold sausages on a table to justify allowing people to drink all night. It reminds me of discu…

Last Monday the Government announced the allocation of a €375 million support package for schools to reopen in September. I have consistently highlighted the need to reopen schools not only because of its importance for children's education and their mental health due to the lack of engagement with classmates and even the lack of a regular routine but also for the mental health of parents, especially parents who have been juggling with childcare and employment since last March with no childcare support. We have alr…

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply, but the reality is that there are children in the catchment of the town of Ballinasloe who have no school place for September. The NCSE has asked schools in Dublin to provide accommodation and has asked the Minister for Education and Skills to direct schools to provide that accommodation. There is the opposite situation in Ballinasloe where a school is willing to come forward and provide that facility for children with autism, yet a very different approach is being taken by the D…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and congratulate her formally on her election. It is great to see a woman from the west of Ireland in the seat that she now holds. I thank the Minister for taking this debate. I welcome the stimulus package as in principle, it should be welcomed. While I have concerns that it may not be as focused as it needs to be, the intention has merit and I welcome that the package has been brought forward. I will flag some concerns with the Minister and I hope he will address them during the …

I move: That Dáil Éireann calls on the Government to support the immediate establishment by the House of the Select Committee on Justice and for Committee Stage of the Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018 [Seanad] to be the first item of business on the agenda and that this should occur no later than 31 October, 2020. The motion seeks to immediately establish the Select Committee on Justice and to take Committee Stage of the Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018. We believe that it is a priority that this legisl…

Yesterday, the 2020 long list for the Booker Prize for fiction was published. Sadly, some affidavits that go before the courts would be in competition for the prize. This has implications, particularly for young people looking for car insurance and many small businesses across the country. We are not claiming that the Bill is a panacea for all of the ills in the insurance industry, and have never promised that it is. However, it will put it up to the insurance industry because it cannot say that there are a plethor…