On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. Senator Blaney has been consistent in his support for An Garda Síochána and County Donegal both within the Chamber and with the Department of Justice. This Government is steadfast in its commitment to building stronger, safer communities. Everyone deserves to be safe and to feel safe in their local community and this is a central tenet of Government policy. The Government remains committed to ensuring An Ga…

I again thank the Senator for raising the important matter of the need for a Garda station and resources in west Donegal. I assure him the Government is unwavering in its commitment to providing An Garda Síochána with significant funding to perform its crucial policing role nationwide. We are now in a period of sustained recruitment of Garda members and staff. This enables the Garda Commissioner to increase the number of gardaí on duty and redeploy more gardaí to front-line policing duties. The most recent Garda re…

Amendment No. 18 inserts a new section 26A into the Data Protection Act of 2018 to provide a prohibition on disclosure of confidential information by persons engaged with the Data Protection Commission in connection with certain defined functions. There appears to be some misinterpretation of the scope and purpose of this amendment and, frankly, some misconceived arguments have been made in recent days. I will address some of these. The purpose of the amendment is to bolster the integrity of the statutory process a…

It was introduced last week.

The Attorney General has of course approved this legislation, as is always the case. The Zalewski case related to procedures of the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, which is a body established under the operating practices pursuant to the Irish law. Unlike the WRC, the DPC is an independent supervisory authority within the meaning of chapter 6 of the GDPR and is responsible for monitoring the application of EU data protection law "in order to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons in rel…

I answered that question. It came from the DPC.

To give clarification on that last point, the DPC has sought this type of amendment and nobody else.

There is no reason to delay this amendment. I have outlined the detailed reasons it is necessary. The request has come from the DPC.

To ensure the commission is in compliance with the GDPR legislation. That is where it is coming from and why it is needed. I have set out clearly how this is actually quite limited in scope and in terms of processes where it will apply. The arguments being put forward do not meet what is set out in the legislation. Those concerns are simply not real.

I thank Senator Warfield for raising this important matter regarding an update on the proposed sale of alcohol Bill 2022 and when opening hours will be extended. I convey the apologies of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, who regrets she cannot be here for this Commencement matter debate due to another commitment. I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and for giving me the opportunity to provide an update on the drafting of the sale of alcohol Bill 2022 on behalf of the M…

I again thank Senator Warfield for raising this important matter. I know it is important to the Senator and, of course, it is very important to our night-time economy. As I mentioned, our licensing laws are not fit for purpose in the context of supporting a vibrant and modern night-time economy. The sale of alcohol Bill will go a long way towards correcting that. However, we are not simply waiting for the Bill to be enacted to support our night-time and hospitality industries. As part of budget 2023, the Ministers,…

I thank the House for taking these two motions today. They seek the approval of the Seanad to continue in force provisions in the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 aimed at tackling terrorism and the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 in respect of organised crime. The House will be aware that the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 was a necessary and wholly proportionate response to the atrocity at Omagh. Our thoughts are always with the families of those murdered and the survivors of…

I am grateful to the House for its consideration of the motions and thank all Senators for their contributions, especially those in support of the motions. The very real threat to our society from dissident republican paramilitary groups and the brutality of ruthless crime gangs need an effective and particular response from the criminal justice system. As legislators, we have a duty to support An Garda Síochána and the justice system in tackling these threats. The Offences Against the State Acts have stood the tes…

I thank the Acting Chair. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, sends apologies for not being able to be here. She has other business in the Dáil Chamber. I support the amendment to the motion tabled by Senators Ruane, Higgins, Black and Flynn on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee. I thank the Senators for their motion and for their contributions to what is a very important and sometimes contentious issue. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, welcomes the opportunity to have this important discussion. I will begin…

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I was glad to launch the ESRI research into gambling and I can tell the Deputy that Committee Stage of the Bill will be taken on 11 July. The Select Committee on Justice insisted on four hours, a double session, in order that we can clear it off and move it on.

I am in the hands of the Houses for that but I would hope it would move quite quickly from that point on.

All of those matters are kept under continuous review by the Department of Justice. I am happy to speak to the Deputy about them after this business.

I thank Senator Kyne for raising this very important matter around the domestic violence response in Galway. I know the Senator has been raising this issue consistently with the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. I am aware that Domestic Violence Response Galway provides ongoing specialist support to victims of domestic abuse and has been delivering advocacy services since 2000 in Galway city and county. I acknowledge the work it does to support victims who are generally a vulnerable cohort and who require addit…

I again thank the Senator for raising this important matter and for his engagement with the Department and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on this issue. I acknowledge the excellent work being undertaken by Domestic Violence Response Galway, which is appreciated. As the Senator will be aware, and in line with a key recommendation of the audit of responsibility for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, the Government has agreed to establish a dedicated statutory agency that will be charged with co-ordinating the…

Amendment No. 1 amends the definition of "citizenship ceremony" that was inserted into section 2 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 by section 3 of the Bill as passed by Dáil Éireann. This is a technical amendment to reflect the changes I will outline in relation to amendment Nos. 2 to 4, inclusive. Amendments Nos. 2 to 4, inclusive, amend sections 15 and 15A of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. Senators will be aware sections 15 and 15A of the Act relate to the conditions f…