Apologies, I thought we had ten minutes between the two of us.

I thank Deputy MacSharry for putting forward the Bill and allowing me an opportunity to set out the Government's position on it. The Government will not oppose the Bill. In fact, I welcome the objectives behind it to improve efficiency and reduce costs in the process of buying and selling property, which are certainly commendable goals we all share and want to achieve. Indeed, the Government and I, as Minister, continue to take major initiatives to address the need for fundamental reform and greater efficiency in o…

I again thank Deputy MacSharry for bringing forward the Bill and thank IPAV and those Members who have worked on it. The overall objective is to support those selling and buying homes to do so in the most efficient and effective manner. We have all probably experienced or know people who have experienced delays and challenges in selling a home, with a knock-on impact on purchasing their own. It is about making sure we have a system that is as effective as possible. We have to acknowledge and look at where these typ…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "acknowledges that: — it is over 100 years since the foundation of An Garda Síochána; — the mission of An Garda Síochána is 'Keeping People Safe'; — An Garda Síochána play a crucial role in our communities, building stronger, safer communities, maintaining law and order, upholding the principles of justice and fostering community well-being; — through the promotion of crime prevention and visible policing, the Gardaí fost…

I am pleased to introduce the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 to the House. As Senators will be aware, it gives effect to a programme for Government commitment. It also forms part of the wider policing reform programme called A Policing Service for Our Future, published by the Government in December 2018 to implement the recommendations in the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. This report was a comprehensive examination of all aspects of policing, including all functio…

I will start where Senator Davitt finished by acknowledging the work of front-line gardaí. They go out every day and put themselves at risk to protect us, and that is to be acknowledged. They are ably supported by civilian staff. I acknowledge the members who have travelled here. I also acknowledge the president and members of Fórsa who are representing those in the Public Gallery and right across the country. I will try to get through the questions and points that have been raised over the past hour or so. I will …

Given the status of the staff, there are clear processes that can take place. I made it clear during the meeting that I want us to be able to engage and to reach a conclusion without having to look any further. There are clear steps that can be taken. I am open to that but I believe this should and can be resolved by all parties sitting around the table. That is exactly how I hope and intend it will be resolved. The community safety offices, which Senator Gavan raised, will have responsibility for the roll-out of t…

The Bill is very clear. There is a division. A separation of divisions in community policing is one of those new divisions. Every area will have its own community garda. People will know who their community garda is. The community garda will be responsible for engaging with the community and responding to it. Obviously, we need to make sure we have the numbers to be able to populate all of those areas. That is the challenge at the moment. We want to make sure we have-----

It is clear that community safety is at the front and centre of the Bill, just as community gardaí will be front and centre of this initiative. With regard to overall Garda numbers, we need to make sure we have as many gardaí as possible to make sure we can populate the various different community areas. On the question of how various different Departments will be responsible for community safety, I will give a couple of examples, such as the Drogheda report. The local community safety plan in Dublin was launched r…

Amendment No. 1 is a technical drafting amendment for the purposes of inserting two commas on either side of the phrase "by the Commission" where it appears in line 13 on page 5. This amendment is one of several to the Long Title of the Bill suggested by Senator Barry Ward on Committee Stage in the Seanad. I asked my officials to consider these suggestions in consultation with the Parliamentary Counsel. Out of this consideration arises amendment No. 1. I recommend that the House accept it. On amendment No. 2, on 31…

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I want to start by acknowledging the family who are in the Gallery and thank them for being here this morning. I also want to acknowledge the huge hurt and loss that has been caused by Shane's death. I also acknowledge those in the wider family and community who loved him. As the Deputies are aware, on 3 July my Department published the report that was carried out by Judge Gerard Haughton arising from the scoping exercise into the circumstances surrounding the tragic an…

I suggest that we have taken action. The fact this report has taken significantly longer is not what anybody expected but it is because Judge Haughton wanted to make sure it was thorough, no stone was left unturned and any important information that could form the basis of a further inquiry or anything that might necessarily need further inquiry was investigated. No stone was left unturned; that is why it has taken so long. The terms of reference were set out very clearly. There was clearly engagement on this with …

I have no issue with that. There is no problem. It gives the opportunity to anybody coming into the House to read it and go through it in detail. However, I am clear that the report itself states there is no need for further inquiry and that is the basis of all of the facts we have in this. I accept the report. It has been published and Government has accepted it as well.

Really?

I have to apologise. I have to be in Brussels this evening so the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, will take over for the latter part of the debate. I wanted to hear as many colleagues as possible and hopefully I will be able to stay for a bit longer. I thank Members for the opportunity to outline how I believe we are making a real difference when it comes to building stronger and safer communities. From the outset as Minister for Justice, I have been determined to keep people safe, and to ensure that people…

I am delighted to introduce the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022 to the House and I look forward to hearing contributions from Senators. As Senators will be aware, this Bill is an important commitment in the programme for Government and in Justice Plan 2023. The Bill provides a legislative framework for the use of recording devices by Garda personnel and the processing of data gathered through that recording. In support of that legislative framework, statutory codes of practice will also provide further…

I thank Senators for the broad welcome and support for the legislation. Issues and concerns were raised, all of which I hope to address. I apologise if I miss anything. The first point to consider is what we are trying to achieve with this legislation. The aim is to give gardaí the right tools, technology and equipment to be able to do their job as efficiently and effectively as possible and to respond to the fact criminals have become more organised and technologically advanced. It is only appropriate that we ensu…

In respect of Seanad amendments Nos. 8, 18 and 33, and pursuant to Standing Order 196, I request the Leas-Cheann Comhairle to direct the Clerk to make a number of corrections of a typographical nature to the Bill. Seanad amendment No. 8 inserts subsections (5), (6) and (7) into section 23 of the Bill. However, consequential renumbering of the existing subsections (5) to (12) has not been reflected and is required. Two punctuation errors have been identified in Seanad amendments Nos. 18 and 33. In Seanad amendment N…

Amendments Nos. 1, 6, 18 and 32 provide a mechanism for Ireland's co-operation with the European Public Prosecutor's Office, EPPO. It is an independent EU body with responsibility for investigating and prosecuting crimes against the financial interests of the EU and participating member states. It commenced its operations in 2021. While Ireland has not opted in to date, we have been clear that we fully support and wish to co-operate with EPPO. Legal difficulties arise in using existing international mutual legal as…

These amendments provide for a change in the composition of the DNA database system oversight committee. The provision being repealed provided for a member of the committee to be appointed by the Data Protection Commission, DPC, which has raised concerns in respect of this provision and its compatibility with the requirements of the DPC to be completely independent in the performance of its tasks and exercise of its power. The repeal of section 1(5) will address this concern. In its place, provision is being made f…