I do not want to pre-empt this process but I hope to bring the legislation forward before the end of this term. If that does not happen, I will introduce it very early in the new year. I would like to see the legislation enacted in the first half of next year and avoid allowing the debate to go on throughout 2021.

I am committed, as is the Government, to ensuring adequate resources for the courts to maintain access to justice for all citizens, not just throughout this pandemic but at all times. This commitment was reinforced recently with the highest ever budgetary allocation for the justice sector, including €158.8 million for the Courts Service. This included €8 million for the new courts modernisation programme along with an additional provision of €5.7 million for Covid measures to enable court sittings to take place in …

I fully agree with the Deputy. We all heard this morning the figure of 122,000 as the initial backlog of summonses. Significant work has been done to clear that. There have been 97,000 cases heard since July alone in this particular area, but there was a backlog before Covid-19 started. That is why we need to make sure we have additional resources. It is why we need to look at the overall spaces we have, and that work has been happening through Covid-19, particularly for criminal trials. It is why we need to look a…

Unfortunately, Covid-19 has impacted all our lives, and it is no different for the Courts Service, those who work in it and those who avail of its services. It is important to thank those who work in the Courts Service, our legal professions and An Garda Síochána because, while they have had to put a lot of cases on hold particularly since the summer, there have been meetings every week to try to come together to address these backlogs and move things along. As I said, even as far as the summonses are concerned, 97…

As the Deputy will be aware, the Court of Justice of the European Union struck down the EU data retention directive in 2014 on the basis that it constituted a disproportionate interference with the rights to privacy and data protection enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Since that time, the court has continued to deal with a range of cases referred to it in what is a complex and continually evolving area of law. The implication of the judgments of the court with regard to data retention regimes present…

There is a fine line. Obviously, we want to ensure we protect people's privacy, but also that An Garda Síochána has the powers to do its work. It is important that we provide the Garda with the technical expertise, the financial support and the legislative underpinning it needs to do its work. The Garda is continuing to do that work. I have some of the figures relating to that Act. The Garda made 13,545 data access requests to telecommunications companies in 2018 and 8,110 were made in 2019. While the Garda might n…

We all regret that this has taken so long and has been ongoing for a number of years. Other member states that have already introduced legislation in their jurisdictions based on the clarifications I just mentioned have had to change that legislation again. It is important that when we introduce and pass our legislation, it is the best it can be and that it provides absolute clarity for An Garda Síochána to allow it to do its work. That is our intention. The Bill is well advanced at this stage. The ruling next year…

I am strongly committed to tackling all forms of corruption and white-collar crime. The Deputy will be aware that last week I announced my intention to lead a new cross-Government plan to tackle these issues, following publication of the Review of Structures and Strategies to Prevent, Investigate and Penalise Economic Crime and Corruption. I intend to publish and start to implement an action plan to tackle economic crime and corruption early in the new year, which I have secured Government approval to do. I thank t…

This is the reason we asked Mr. James Hamilton and those who worked with him to produce this report. It was to identify ways in which we can support the different agencies. This report will be implemented not just by my Department but also the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, working with An Garda Síochána, the Central Bank, SIPO and many other agencies. This is about ensuring we have everybody working and talking together…

Unfortunately, I have not seen the programme yet, but I will watch it over the weekend. I have read much of what was in the report. What is important here from a justice point of view is that the Garda has the capabilities and, in the same way as was outlined in the previous question, that the legislation is in place to ensure that it can do its work, and that it has the numbers to make sure it can carry out the physical investigations and the right level of expertise. We have a number of recommendations specifical…

Since my appointment as Minister, I have significantly prioritised tackling domestic abuse and supporting victims. I assure the Deputy that I am working collectively with my colleagues and with our partners to address the immediate needs of victims of domestic abuse and, going forward, to put in place a system designed and built around their needs. With regard to his specific question about measures to combat increased incidents of domestic abuse in Cork, as I have said, our collective approach is a national one, b…

As the Deputy outlined, that work is happening in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman and his team are currently undertaking an audit, which is due to be completed early in the new year. It is about much more than just bed spaces; it is about ensuring the appropriate services are there and that people in State agencies are working together with the community and voluntary sector. Unfortunately, the figures are not specific to Cork, as we have see…

This is not within the remit of my Department, but my understanding is that the review will be concluded in the new year. I think the timeline that has been set is for it to be done by April. A suite of different actions are being taken at the moment. We have the audit to look at all of the different Departments and services and the support that they provide and how we can put in place a much better structure to make sure that we can drive the implementation of services and bring about much-needed change in this ar…

We need an overhaul of the operation of the family justice system to ensure that it becomes more efficient, that our courts are more family-friendly and that we put the family at the centre of all the work done. I am very much aware of the concerns that the Deputy has raised about parental alienation. This is a very complex area and, like her, I have met many people who have raised concerns about it. This is something I want to consider as part of our wider programme of family law reform. I intend to arrange for re…

When any couple or family decides to separate, it is a difficult position, and when children are involved it can be even more difficult. This is particularly the case with the involvement of young children. We have all engaged and met with constituents and people who have gone through such difficult experiences. It is really important that the right supports are given to those families by agencies at a very early stage. I have said that we must reform the family court structure and often when a case gets to court, …

One of the things that has struck me at the last few meetings I have had on the development and modernisation of the family law system is that it is not just about new courts, judges or systems but also about making sure that ancillary supports are provided as well. We must ensure that it is not just the physical environment that is conducive to helping families to get through very difficult situations but that all of the supports are around them as well. As Deputy Smyth said, it is not just about going through the…

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for her question. Regarding her query about measures taken to combat increased domestic abuse in Carlow, I will respond in more detail later but would emphasise that our collective approach is an all-encompassing national one and will continue thus. There is no doubt that domestic abuse incidents have increased during the pandemic. We also know that services are going to come under increased pressure in the period leading up to the winter weeks and afterwards. In the first few months…

Deputy Murnane O'Connor has raised very valid points and that is why it is so important that the aforementioned audit takes place. It will be concluded by March of next year and will take into account the fact that there are also housing and social welfare support issues involved here. Work is being done by Tusla at the moment to review the current bed capacity in order to ensure that we have enough places. I am very conscious that a number of counties do not have their own refuge but Carlow and Kilkenny tend to wo…

In response to both Deputies, information is key. It is very important that victims of domestic abuse, violence and sexual abuse know what supports are available to them. A key recommendation of the O'Malley report, which then fed into Supporting a Victim's Journey, was that there should be greater access to information in different forms and through different media. At the implementation meeting yesterday, at which I met representatives from the Departments of Health and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration…

As the Deputy will be aware, representatives of the Michael O'Donohoe memorial project have gathered a considerable amount of material relating to this particular case, including a transcript of the trial from the mid-1880s. They have met with officials in my Department and provided material in support of an application for a presidential pardon under Article 13.6 of Bunreacht na hÉireann. Following consideration by officials, I understand that an opinion was formed that the conviction might be considered unsafe. I…