Again, it is not providing the certainty we have been asked for. If you look at any of the letters that have been presented to me or the engagement we have had with the various different service providers, they have asked for certainty. Putting sunset clauses into legislation could lead to laws that will fall if new legislation is not put in by that date. This is not providing certainty. There is every intention to progress new legislation. I would not like us to pare back even further and have less data that An Ga…

I have vivid memories of my own father covering a Topical Issue matter one night and having the same response read out but that is for another day. I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue matter. As he correctly outlined, police certificates are issued for the following five purposes: the foreign consular authority and foreign visas; the establishing or registering of a business in another EU member state; employment in the EU institutions; development or humanitarian aid workers employed overseas; and, a…

I fully agree with Deputy Stanton. We are not talking about students going on holidays on a cruise liner. This is something different, which would benefit them for their entire lives. It is about their career and, unfortunately, through no fault of their own, they find themselves in a position where there is no police certificate or vetting procedure and nothing that would allow them to continue their training. I am sure this was never the intention when the various criteria were set out. They are quite broad crite…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to introduce the Communications (Retention of Data) (Amendment) Bill 2022 to the House. This Bill relates to serious matters of policy with regard to the scope of data retention and access measures that are permitted for the purposes of an effective response by State agencies to issues of national security, crime and the life and safety of persons. The Bill aims to amend the current Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011. This provides for the gen…

The general scheme would be published before the end of this year

As soon as possible, yes.

I have done so multiple times.

I thank colleagues for contributing to the debate. There is nobody to blame here. I am not trying to lay the blame on anyone, certainly not on the Joint Committee on Justice. We are introducing emergency legislation. I appreciate that there is concern and annoyance at the timeframe in which this has been brought forward, but emergency legislation often has to be brought forward quickly. Anyone who knows about the work I have done in the Department in setting out my justice plans for 2021 and 2022 knows that I have …

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. As he will be aware, the policing, security and community safety Bill, which has completed its pre-legislative scrutiny, will provide for a reformed and strengthened Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission in line with the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, which is obviously a significant body of work conducted over the past number of years. The proposals in the Bill are comprehensive. They address the structures, independence, remit, a…

The issue of resources is a major factor. It was explored in the pre-legislative scrutiny and was highlighted in the wider report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. I am pleased to say GSOC has had unprecedented levels of resources in recent years, with a total allocation of €13.4 million for 2022, marking an increase of more than €2 million in comparison with 2021. At the end of June 2022, there were 149 staff assigned to GSOC, including three commissioners. That represents a very significant …

On the issue of staffing, like any other organisation, GSOC is planning ahead and identifying the type of staff it needs. It will have to go through the same official process and channels as any other organisation to appoint members. One of the Deputy's first questions concerned the overall improvements to GSOC. One of the issues that has been raised repeatedly is the timeliness of processes. Currently, there is a twin-track process in place. First, it has to be decided whether the investigation will be civil or cr…

We have to introduce the legislation first. I hope to bring forward the general scheme after the summer recess.

I fully support the work of Free Legal Advice Centres, FLAC, and have met with members of the team. I compliment them on the work they do and, in particular, on the work they continued to do through the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been a difficult period for a number of organisations, particularly those that deal with the public. FLAC plays a key role in the provision of legal information, advice and advocacy work through its telephone information referral line, for which my Department has provided grant funding over…

The overall increase from 98,000 to 294,000 was to support the huge amount of work it already does. There are 30 full-time law centres, part-time centres, four specialist legal offices and 20 family mediation centres. Of the law centres, eight of these with a family mediation office are co-located. It is not just the online services but a huge amount is happening in-person on the ground. The Deputy referenced family law and about 30% of the calls related to same. To break it down further, of that 30% some 44% relat…

What I always try to do and what any Department will try to do is respond to the asks, wishes and needs of the organisation it supports. The Department of Justice has tried, in many different ways, including financially, to support the expansion of FLAC. Any request coming into the budgetary process this year will be examined and hopefully responded to in a positive way. On the family courts, we are talking about hubs, which are structures within the current court structures. No final decision has been made on exac…

We have to look at where we are identifying locations and need and we can respond once we have that done.

Under the national development plan, the Government will invest over €282 million in capital projects in 2022, including provision for PPP funding. The Government has prioritised a package of funding which will facilitate sustained investment to support an efficient and effective justice system providing important Government services and activities across the sector, including in forensic science, policing, prisons and the courts. As the Deputy may be aware, the capital allocation for the justice Vote group encompa…

People might ask why we took this approach with the PPPs, which the Deputy has referred to. When the three elements of the PPP are combined they are more likely to be of a scale sufficient to attract the private sector parties and competition, where such interests and competition might not be generated if projects are progressed individually. The specific projects are often capable of being specified clearly within a PPP procurement process and contractual arrangement. There is an annual repayment cost over a perio…

It is because of the architect's report we received through the OPW from the Courts Service, which clearly says the building is not sufficient to deliver the required services which we want in Tralee and the surrounding areas, that another site has been identified. That is the Island of Geese site. There is no moving away from that decision. That decision has been taken by the Courts Service. This must be agreed by the local authority. The likelihood is that there should be agreement from the council. My understand…

I will come back to the Deputy on that.