To respond to the initial question from Deputy Burke, as a workforce we are highly skilled and our members are extremely sought after because of the training they have and their ability to do this type of work. We are working very closely with Interpol and Europol. For example, one of these programmes is Operation Skein, as we call it here. This tackles criminal organisations and has led to hundreds of arrests in Ireland as well as the establishment by Interpol of an international investigation called Operation Jac…

Public health is a key consideration for me and my Department in developing this legislation. The intention of this Bill is to try to modernise our existing licensing laws to bring them in line with the expectations and needs of today and a modern society, to bring us into line with other jurisdictions, and to encourage the development of a modern and diverse night-time economy. This legislation is an important commitment in our programme for Government. What I am trying to do is to strike the right balance. I thin…

I wish to reassure the Deputy and the organisations I have mentioned, some of which he may have spoken to. Many of them have put forward the facts from their research. All that information is being taken into account. There is a perception that this is legislation to allow every bar and club in the country to stay open late and serve alcohol late. That is not what this legislation is about. In fact, some of the restrictive measures mean that clubs and bars will need to adhere to certain conditions to protect their …

All of the facts the Deputies have outlined occur in an environment where we have a restrictive regime, where pubs are closing every week. We have about 70 nightclubs left in the country. A couple of years ago there might have been that number in three or four counties. Alcohol is a problem for many people but we need to invest in education to change people's behaviours and attitudes. More people are drinking at home where there is absolutely no monitoring, where people can drink whatever they want for as long as t…

An Garda Síochána is committed to investing in leadership at all levels of the organisation through a clear understanding of requirements and focused development. Effective leadership enables the organisation to respond to changing demands with agility and to positively impact the culture of the organisation, obviously filtering down through it. Extensive provision is made for leadership development at all levels within An Garda Síochána, including both Garda members and staff. More than €44 million is provided for…

I agree with the Deputy. There is always more we can do. One of the biggest challenges in providing training over recent years has been ensuring gardaí have the time to take up courses, either during their working time or outside of that. It is about investment in Garda members and ensuring we have the capacity and the ability for members to take time off. This is hugely important. We also must ensure that we have the funding and that gardaí are looking at what type of training is required. The Deputy is right in s…

I agree with both Deputies. It is absolutely vital that people at senior levels, such as sergeants, inspectors, superintendents, chief superintendents and those at the top or the higher end of the organisation, have the ability to lead and have those qualities and skills. Members often have to make split-second decisions. Obviously, this is easier for those who have the training and have gone through the motions. Leadership training is being developed and delivered. It is looked at in a number of ways but there are…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 26 together. I am sure we all agree that migration plays an essential and very positive role in our society and economy. It is vital to addressing labour shortages at all skill levels across the economy and has been a key driver of growth in this country. As the Deputy will be aware, and as he just mentioned, issuing visas and residence permits is the responsibility of my Department while the criteria and conditions for obtaining employment permits are set by the Department o…

I agree that spouses or partners of those with intra-company transfer employment permits should be allowed to work. Otherwise, they will be just here. If they can contribute, and many of them have significant jobs and roles, they could contribute whatever it is while they are here. The Deputy is absolutely correct that it is a factor attracting people to come to a country and that we are losing out, as are many sectors. I do not know why the decision was taken at the time but I am reviewing the overall structure. I…

I would expect that any changes on this will be much quicker than those in respect of any of the other aspects I referred to. The more medium-term changes will take about 18 months and they will certainly make us more attractive, even for others who come without spouses or partners, but the longer term objective involves the combining of two systems, which will take a little longer. My Department and the Department of enterprise are absolutely committed to that and it is the first hurdle to pass. Everybody wants to…

I thank Deputies, in particular Deputy Funchion, for tabling this legislation and allowing us to have this debate. The Bill, as was said, proposes to amend the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 to require former members of a commission of investigation, upon written request, to appear before the relevant Oireachtas joint committee within six months of the presentation of the commission's final report. I will go briefly through some of the key elements of the Commissions of Investigation Act which I think are re…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which is on all our minds at the moment. I will start with a positive: all communities across the country have been extremely welcoming and supportive of the large number of people who have come to this country seeking protection and shelter. That will continue. While people have a right to protest, which we should always protect, people do not have a right to do so in a way that causes harm or causes people to fear for their safety or in a way that threatens public safet…

While I cannot speak for the Commissioner, I know that he was referring in his statements to the fact that we cannot link every attack to the same group of people or individuals. There was an incident recently when a vacant building that had nothing to do with any type of accommodation for anyone was set alight. We are talking about acts of criminality. The individuals are criminals, not masterminds. As far as I am concerned, these are criminals who are going around setting buildings alight and putting people at ri…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: Proposal for the Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations for an agreement between the…

I thank colleagues for their support for all three motions. It is desirable that we would avail of the opt-in, that we would do so within the time period and that we would send a very strong signal that we want to participate and share this information with the three countries we have mentioned, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. In recent years, we have done everything we can to opt into these types of measures to make sure that we are working on a par with our counterparts in other member states, with our police fo…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: Proposal for the Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations for an agreement between the…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: Proposal for the Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations for an agreement between the…

The amendment tabled by Deputies Daly and Ward seeks to commit the Government to bring forward legislation to reform the Coroners Acts having regard to recommendations in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice report on the examination of the operation of the Coroner Service published in February 2023. I express my appreciation for the recommendations made by the committee. I do not object to any of that. The intention is that I will bring forward legislation that will take due regard of the recommendations made…

Yes. My sincere apologies.

I am pleased to be here today to speak on Second Stage of the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2024. As the Senators have set out, this is a short Bill that seeks to amend section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 to make provision for an indictable offence under that section. It will make the breach of an order a hybrid offence which could be triable either summarily or on indictment, with a maximum penalty on indictment of five years' imprisonment. This change will enable an offence under section 33 of the A…