Section 40 was proposed for deletion from the Bill and amendments Nos. 59, 62 and 66 are consequential on its deletion. The intention behind section 40 was to provide for those limited circumstances where a person refuses to provide An Garda Síochána with CCTV footage of a crime. However, after meeting with various stakeholders, concerns were voiced to my Department regarding the scope of the power that was created by this section, where there was no judicial authorisation or approval process set out in the legisla…

Amendment No. 65 will extend the offence provision for Parts 2, 3, 5 and 6 relating to the making of data unavailable as evidenced in Part 7 with the insertion of a new offence. For sections within this Part, the offences set out mirror those in other Parts of the Bill.

I welcome the opportunity for statements on the report of retired Judge Gerard Haughton arising from the scoping exercise into the circumstances surrounding the tragic and untimely death of Shane O'Farrell, aged 23, in August 2011 in a hit-and-run incident involving a car driven by Zigimantas Gridziuska, who is referred to in the report as "ZG". The sudden loss of Shane at such a young age, with his whole life ahead of him, was a tragedy for those who knew him, particularly his family. I acknowledge his parents, Lu…

I thank colleagues for their contributions and for bringing this to the House. I will start with what I said in the Dáil previously because it is important and I think it is why we and the O’Farrell family are here. First, it is to make sure that all the facts and information are laid bare and that all the information surrounding the death of Shane is known and understood but, above all, that we can have and use that information to make sure that no family goes through what the O’Farrell family has gone through. We…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and welcome the opportunity to have statements in the House today on the report of retired Judge Gerard Haughton, arising from the scoping exercise into the circumstances surrounding the tragic and untimely death in August 2011 of Shane O'Farrell, aged 23, in a hit-and-run incident involving a car driven by Zigimantas Gridziuska, the individual referred to in the report as "ZG". The sudden loss of Shane at such a young age, with his whole life ahead of him, is a desperate tragedy f…

I thank all Deputies for their contributions this evening and I thank the O’Farrell family for being here throughout this. I do not think any of us, myself included, who have met either Lucia or Jim, Shane’s sisters or the wider family who could not have been affected by those meetings. Like everyone here, I have witnessed the sheer love, but above all, determination by the family to make sure all the facts surrounding Shane’s death are laid bare and are clear and also to ensure that no family goes through what the…

The decision was taken by the Government a number of years ago to conduct the scoping exercise. It was very clearly outlined in the terms of reference that, if a public inquiry was deemed necessary following this scoping exercise, that would be considered by Government. I have never, nor has the Government, throughout this scoping exercise said that we would not accept a public inquiry if that was recommended. We have a report that clearly outlines the reasons a public inquiry should not take place. This has been b…

The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities. Strengthening An Garda Síochána is, of course, at the core of that. We will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe. That is reflected in the unprecedented budget allocation of €2.3 billion to An Garda Síochána. That is an increase of 23% since 2020. The Government will support An Garda Síochána to increase substantially the size of the Garda Reserve in the comin…

I absolutely believe we need to increase the numbers of reserves we have to support the work the Garda does and to allow for that increased presence and visibility on the ground as we continue to increase our normal Garda numbers as well. It has been a challenging 20 years or so since the reserve was established. There was a peak of about 1,400 reserves at a particular time, especially when there was a moratorium on the Garda College itself whereby no new recruits were coming out. When that opened up again, however…

I appreciate that it has taken a little time since the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report, but in that time a new strategy has been published. We have also gone through a pandemic, which meant that any type of recruitment, be it in Templemore or here, was near impossible. We have a new regulation which, as I said, will be with me by the end of the week and which will allow engagement with the associations to make sure everybody can work as effectively as possible with one another and that the ne…

I am happy to be able to give an update on progress that has been made on this issue. I fully recognise the important role played by barristers and solicitors in the administration of criminal justice, not only in the context of working to defend those who are accused but also working with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in respect of prosecutions. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the ongoing co-operation and flexibility shown by the legal profession in working with the Government and the co…

I appreciate, depending on the type of work, that there were two 8% cuts and a cut of 10% each in the lower and higher courts. For somebody working in both courts, that was a much higher cut. If somebody is working in the lower courts, the restoration we introduced and allowed for in yesterday's budget goes nearly halfway to responding to those cuts. As I said, this is the start of a process. I want to make sure that a fair system is in place that allows for fair restoration for those who provide a very valuable se…

I agree this has been going on for too long, which is why I was really pleased to be able to make progress for the first time in this year's budget just yesterday. It is not possible for me to confirm to any organisation what may or may not be in the budget. What I can do, and certainly did do in this instance, was to reassure people, insofar as I possibly could, that this was a priority and something I was working on and that I was actively engaged on with my colleague in the Department of Public Expenditure, Nati…

I agree with the Deputy and all members of An Garda Síochána who say they do work others could be doing and could free up valuable police time and make sure we have as many visible gardaí out on the beat as possible. We are committed to doing that. Strengthening An Garda Síochána is at the core of everything we are focused on at the moment. When it comes to this budget, we will continue to provide them with the resources they need. As I said earlier, there is a €2.31 billion budget for An Garda Síochána, up 23% sin…

While I have outlined the work that is under way in terms of immigration, courts security and serving summonses, as the Deputy mentioned, a high-level group considered the recommendations relating to prosecutions. A report has been submitted which will shortly be brought to Government. A group chaired by my Department, comprising the Courts Service and An Garda Síochána, has also agreed on reforms to courts security, including the transfer of jury-minding responsibilities to the Courts Service. The group has also b…

I reassure the Deputy that there is an absolute commitment to bring about these changes. There are a number of different strands to the process. In terms of the changes to immigration, we have a pathway that is being worked on to expand on the changes seen in Dublin Airport which have been very successful. A body of work is being done on prosecutions, which the Deputy mentioned. I intend to bring the report of the group and proposed next steps to Government. A high-level group is examining the role of An Garda Síoc…

I thank the Deputy. As she has alluded to, she raises a question relating to an investigation of nearly 50 years ago which culminated in the court’s overturning the convictions of two people in 1980, a pardon for one individual in 1992 and the payment of financial settlements. There is no doubt this case, and others of the time that we know of, cast a shadow on the trust we place in our criminal justice and policing systems to ensure justice is done in a fair way. It is important to note, however, that this happene…

The ICCL petition was received by me and my Department. A response will issue in due course. It is something we are going through at the moment. Once the matter has been fully considered and we have gone through the report completely, we will respond. We have to consider every incident. In the short time I have been in the Department, there have been calls for various types of public inquiries. We always have to consider the threshold of whether there is a public interest. I do not for a second seek to diminish the…

I have already seen the report. I am working with my Department to respond to the ICCL in as quick a way as possible. I know that every case is different. I mentioned that in this case the convictions were overturned and there were pardons and financial settlements. There have been apologies in other different cases. Every individual case is different. I do not for a second condone some of the behaviour by particular individuals who cast a very negative light on what is a wonderful Garda force. An Garda Síochána ha…

My top priority as Minister for Justice is to build stronger, safer communities. I want to ensure that people are and feel safe in their communities, and that they contribute to feeling safe in their communities, because it is the people who live in an area who know best what it is their community needs. I am delighted to confirm that under budget 2024, €7.9 million will be allocated towards community safety initiatives, including €3.75 million for the community safety innovation fund, which is an increase on last …