I welcome this opportunity to make statements on domestic violence. It is fitting that we are making these statements and have the opportunity to raise this important issue given that tomorrow is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. I hope I have made it clear, or that it has been clear, to everyone that since my appointment as Minister for Justice I have prioritised tackling all forms of domestic violence and providing support to vulnerable victims as a priority area of work. We hav…

I very much welcome the opportunity to make a statement on this important issue and to listen to the contributions of colleagues. It is important to look at how we can come together to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. It is an area that I have prioritised since my appointment as Minister. The Government as a whole is committed to combating domestic and sexual violence in all its forms and ensuring that anyone who is a victim of this most heinous type of abuse is empowered and supported to come for…

I am sharing time with the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne. I am pleased to have the opportunity to make a statement on community safety and preventing crime. I am also looking forward to hearing the contributions from Deputies and to working with them on this issue. Members of the House will be aware that the mission of An Garda Síochána is "Keeping People Safe". This is a simple, but clear, message. Community safety is a much broader concept than crime or fear of crime. It is about people being safe and fe…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “is concerned that: — the misuse of scrambler motorcycles, quad-bikes and other vehicles is a matter of public concern and has led to serious safety risks and interference with the enjoyment of amenities for communities in some areas of the country; and — regrettably, the misuse of these vehicles has resulted in death or serious injury in some cases; notes that: — An Garda Síochána pursue appropriate policing strategies w…

I wish to start by expressing my absolute confidence in the Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar. Sinn Féin is here tonight yet again preaching, once more claiming to apply standards to everyone else in this House and to hold others to account, yet when its members are asked to account for their own actions, they fall silent. My colleagues have outlined many instances of hypocrisy but I will focus on one. Sinn Féin Deputies have talked about the challenging year people have faced due to Covid-19. In the midst of this pandemic, h…

I thank the Deputy for raising this serious and important issue. While the Garda has been testing drivers for drugs with the assistance of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, MBRS, since 1999, the Deputy will be aware that the drug-driving provisions in the Road Traffic Act 2016 were only commenced by the then Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport on 12 April 2017. The Deputy has outlined some of its measures and, indeed, consequences if people are caught. One of the legislation's key measures provides for preli…

Without stepping into an area for which I do not have responsibility, I am assured by the Commissioner and his team that they continue to look at all districts and the resources required therein and that they allocate accordingly. My role is to ensure that the additional funding is allocated and the resources needed are allocated. We have tried our best in this year's budget to ensure that is the case. The fact that we have an unprecedented budget this year of €1.952 billion will allow us to address some of these c…

I move: That Dáil Éireann resolves that the Criminal Justice (Enforcement Powers) (Covid-19) Act 2020 (No. 14 of 2020) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on the 9th day of November, 2020 and ending on the 9th day of June, 2021." Deputies will be aware that section 17 of the Act provides that the Act shall continue in operation until 9 November 2020 unless a resolution approving its continuation has been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas before that date. Having regard to the continuing grave…

I thank all Deputies for their contributions. I will touch on a number of the points that have been raised. I cannot accept the proposed amendment and will outline why. Some Deputies have referred to this issue. As much as I would like to say we will be in a different place in three months and will not need this legislation, if we are all honest with ourselves, that is not where we are going to be. We are doing this in the interest of not having to come back here every few months to have the same debate when nothin…

Apologies. There were two things I did not clarify. If the Garda Commissioner writes to my Department, I am not sure whether or not that can be published but I can certainly check. Regarding game and shooting, there seems to be a suggestion that the gardaí themselves decided that this was not something that could go ahead, which is simply not the case. We have a situation where if somebody plays golf and has a golf course within 5 km of his or her home, and decided to go out on his or her own to play golf as if the…

I am pleased to speak in support of my colleague, the Minister for Health, on this important legislation. He has outlined the detail of the legislation and the intention of the Bill, which is the intention of all of us here, that is, to reduce the spread of the virus. Covid-19 remains a real threat to all of us and, in particular, to our most vulnerable citizens. This is a critical time for our country and we have a responsibility to comply with the public health guidelines and regulations for the good of everybody…

There are a number of points on which we can all agree. We can all agree we want to bring the virus under control, reduce the spread of Covid-19 and do so by working together. I do not just mean all of us in the House but each and every one of us in the country. I also think we can agree, particularly as we are now at level 5 and infections are increasing at the rate they are, that we cannot do whatever we want to do, visit whomever we want to visit, drive wherever we want to go and carry on as normal because if we…

I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this issue. I am fully committed to establishing the new parole board as soon as possible. This is an important programme for Government commitment and is something I have identified as a priority action for my Department. Government has supported this commitment with funding in our first budget to make sure this priority is delivered in 2021. As the Deputy will be aware, the new statutory parole board will considerably improve the system as it currently operates. The Parole Act 201…

I thank the Deputy and I reassure him that this is an absolute priority for me. This is why I have included it in my own list of priorities as Minister for Justice and Equality. While I cannot account for what may have happened last year or what stage it was at last year, a number of new things have happened in recent months with the establishment of the project board, which is driving forward the implementation. The Deputy will accept there are a number of measures that need to be put in place for this to be enact…

I stress again that this is a priority. I have met with some of the victims' groups. I reassured them that this is a priority and that we want to enact this as quickly as possible. I hope that the additional funding we allocated this year, and the progress of the project board in progressing this, highlights and shows that it will be done as quickly as possible.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I will start by expressing my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and community of Patrick Nugent on their tragic loss.  Although this happened more than 36 years ago, I know the pain of losing Patrick will not have diminished in this time and I greatly appreciate deeply the family's desire to understand the circumstances which led to his death. As the Deputy will be aware, an inquiry under section 42 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 into the Garda Síochána investigati…

I thank the Deputy. All I can say is that I am sorry it has taken this long to get to where we are. I have read through the circumstances myself. This young man was working and, unfortunately, met his death in circumstances that are still unknown. It must be very difficult and challenging for the family. I am sorry it has taken this long to even get to where we are today. Having spoken to the judge, I am confident that, while there have been a number of delays this year for different reasons, we will receive this r…

I confirm that will happen. Once we receive the report, it will be important that the Attorney General be consulted, as well as the family. After that is done, and the family are satisfied that they have received the report, it will then be published and made public.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 7 together. On 14 October 2020, the Government approved the transfer of functions which has moved responsibility for international protection accommodation, integration and equality to my colleague, the Minister with responsibility for children, equality, disability, integration and youth, with effect from that date. The transfer of functions, therefore, has already taken place. I should clarify, however, that issues such as access to education, public services and employment …

As the Deputy has rightly outlined, this issue was addressed following a referendum of the Irish people. Every person who was suitable and of age to vote was entitled to vote in this referendum. The twenty-seventh amendment to the Constitution changed the position regarding entitlement to Irish citizenship and as a result, section 6 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 was amended by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004. These changes came into effect on 1 January 2005 and as of that date, a …