Bunreacht na hÉireann is the bedrock body of law that governs our society. As such, it should reflect our values and be representative of our society. The provisions in the Constitution on the family are not a reflection of the broad range of families and compositions that make up families in daily Irish life. In recent years, we have amended our foundational document to reflect a more modern Ireland, including by enshrining children's rights, removing the offence of blasphemy, allowing the Oireachtas to legislate …

The proposed fortieth amendment of the Constitution or care referendum will delete Article 41.2, removing outdated language on the role of women. It would also insert a new Article 42B to recognise the value of family care. The Irish Constitution is our foundational document. It holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Irish people. When the Constitution was adopted by the Irish people in 1937, it enshrined key principles and protections that continue to serve us very well to this day. Language and ideas ev…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important question. It raises a very important issue with regard to the work undertaken by the authorities here in the investigation of Troubles-related murders in this jurisdiction, as well as co-operation with UK Troubles legacy processes that have a cross-Border dimension. I assure the Deputy that in circumstances where such offences have not been resolved, the investigations remain open and An Garda Síochána will, and do, follow up fully on any new evidence or information tha…

As I understand it, An Garda Síochána is always very conscious of victims of crime and works very carefully to keep families updated in relation to any investigations. There is strong ongoing co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI. The cross-Border joint agency task force was established under a 2015 fresh start agreement to bring a concerted and enhanced effort to tackle cross-jurisdictional crime. The task force is led by senior officers from An Garda Síochána, Rev…

I do not have an answer to hand on Schedule 3 but I will get the answer relayed to the Deputy. With regard to unresolved cases I assure the Deputy that on Troubles-related matters, there is significant co-operation between Ireland and United Kingdom. In certain circumstances where cases have not been resolved the investigations remain open and An Garda Síochána follow up fully on any new evidence or information that becomes available to them. The responsibility for these investigations of unresolved criminal offenc…

In its over 40 years of operation, the civil legal aid scheme has been a significant and beneficial public service, providing legal aid and advice to people of limited means in civil disputes, including family law. However, since the scheme was set up Irish society has changed and the demands on the services have grown. In June 2022, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, established the civil legal aid review group to review the current operation of the civil legal aid scheme and make recommendations for …

I assure the Deputy that the work of the civil legal aid review group is advancing following on from the progress report received in May. The scheme is important for those who face particular barriers in accessing justice. The group's recommendations will be vital to ensuring that those with the most acute needs get the support to resolve their legal disputes, as outlined by the Deputy. This is particularly important in relation to family justice. We know that the civil legal aid scheme seeks in particular to meet …

I can assure the Deputy the review is looking in particular at the most acute needs of those who need the support. As I said earlier, most financial eligibility thresholds have not been considered for quite some time and that is the very essence of this review.

The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and a strengthened, well-resourced An Garda Síochána is central to this policy. While the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for the allocation of Garda resources, we engage regularly with him to ensure our gardaí have the resources they need. The unprecedented allocation of in excess of €2.3 billion to An Garda Síochána for 2024 will allow for sustained recruitment of between 800 to 1,000 new Garda recruits in 2024. As of the end of …

While I have no direct role in the assignment of gardaí or any Garda resource, I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that personnel assigned throughout the country, together with the overall policing arrangements and operational strategies, are continuously monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures the optimum use is made of resources and the best possible policing service is provided to the general public. With regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used that takes into account…

I acknowledge the courage and bravery of gardaí who faced those riots on that Thursday, including those from Dublin and those who came from further afield responding to the call to support the gardaí in Dublin, who faced those violent thugs who sought to take advantage of a very difficult and challenging situation. We all acknowledge the bravery and courage of those gardaí who responded on that night. They should not have faced that type of thuggery and lawlessness that was attempted by a group of people who sought…

I am committed to supporting An Garda Síochána in achieving their objectives through recruitment, Irish language development, awareness, promotion and engagement. The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the allocation of resources, including Garda members, to a given division, district or station. An Garda Síochána issued a directive in 2018 to ensure that only members with the appropriate Irish-language skills would transfer to Gaeltacht stations,…

As stated, the transfer and stationing of An Garda Síochána is an operational matter for the Commissioner, but I will bring the Deputy's concerns to him. On recruitment, An Garda Síochána has brought in important measures to comply with its language obligations. These include the introduction of an Irish language stream in the recruitment process, whereby 10% of all spaces in each competition are reserved for fluent Irish speakers and the introduction of an allocation process for Gaeltacht stations, which included …

As I said, it is an operational matter for the Commissioner, but I will bring the Deputy's concerns to the attention of the Commissioner. The new Irish Language Strategy 2022-2025 establishes a pathway and puts in strong mechanisms to ensure we have members of An Garda Síochána and a situation where the Irish language gets the recognition it deserves within An Garda Síochána. We all acknowledge we need more members of An Garda Síochána. That is why we have a recruitment campaign. Next year we expect to recruit an a…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána and all gardaí have a role to play in community policing in the course of carrying out their duties. Community policing is also fundamental to the new Garda operating model that is currently being rolled out in all divisions and has been fully commenced in ten. The new model will provide more front-line gardaí, increased Garda visibility and a wider range of policing services for people in their local area.…

As regards scramblers, that change in the legislation was a recommendation of a sub-committee of my antisocial behaviour forum. I am glad the legislation was passed and is now operational. The distribution of gardaí is an operational matter and for the Commissioner. I have no doubt he keeps Limerick very much to the fore, however.

I thank the members of the Women's Parliamentary Caucus for their proposals to deliver a rights-based care economy in Ireland. It is a very timely motion and I commend them on it. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, very ably detailed the Government's response to the care needs of older people and the supports for carers provided throughout the social protection system. I will focus primarily on the Government's commitments to respond to the needs of people with disabilities and their carers, as wel…

I stand to express my confidence in the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and it is an honour to serve with her in the Department of Justice. Our primary thoughts this evening are with those children and the crèche worker injured on that day. I thank the members of the public, the emergency workers and the healthcare workers who all rushed to the scene on that occasion. Out of this tragedy the far right saw an opportunity and took it to create division, to sow misinformation and to whip up fear. What followed in Dublin cit…

Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a serious crime. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, deserves credit for her work in this area and not to be discredited.

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 a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2014/62/EU as regards certain repo…