I will speak to amendment No. 6, which has similarities with Deputy Howlin’s amendment and other amendments. It is worth recapping briefly how we got here, both procedurally and in terms of the bigger picture. The Joint Committee on Justice stands willing and able to do its duty and scrutinise legislation. It welcomes the opportunity to do its job in that regard, as it does with all other legislation. Last week was a good example of the committee rolling up its sleeves and getting stuck in. We declined to grant a w…

Perhaps I will have that opportunity in time. It would provide some reassurance and comfort to all those involved in the scrutiny if this were to be re-examined. It could pass muster for now to get it over the line, as it were, given all the circumstances if we were given comfort was the legislation will be revisited. As we have been told, there will be a more comprehensive Bill, on which we will perform due scrutiny and engage with stakeholders engage. I am sure the others in this House and many outside it would b…

I am afraid that I do not quite follow the argument that things and personnel can change. We accept the Minister's good faith in terms of her intent to bring forward legislation in six or 12 months. If that was the case, we would all be relieved. It is not second-guessing the Minister. It is second-guessing events because we do not know what the future holds, what Minister may be in office or what Administration may be on this side of the House. That is the point of it. It is about saying that regardless of events,…

I will speak to the amendment very briefly because the Minister has to take all the amendments in her response.

Under the 1996 Act, it was common practice to have codes of practice for different sectors. That is a good idea. The stakeholders in this Bill, in the telecommunications and other sectors, said it would be very helpful. It was always done in the past under previous legislation. It would be helpful if the Minister would consider accepting that amendment. That would help the legislation to be adopted and taken on.

I thank the Minister of State for introducing the Bill and speaking about its provisions. As stated by colleagues on the justice committee and others, the committee considered this matter at its meeting this afternoon, obviously after the fact in the sense that we granted the waiver last week in incorporeal fashion. We were happy to do so as the volume of cases going through the courts was such that the system was threatening to grind to a halt. I considered the figures earlier and concluded 30,000 cases are being …

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue debate, which relates to the quality and contents of the water supply in Kilteel, County Kildare. In the constituency of Kildare North, Kilteel borders counties Wicklow and Dublin. It is in an important corner of the constituency where there are decent people and strong communities. Sixty houses connect to the group water scheme that services the area. The scheme has been in place for a considerable time. In January, what was effectively a “Do not use” not…

I thank the Minister for the reply and welcome the progress. I have been in touch with the Minister's office on this throughout and I welcome that those representations are beginning to bear fruit. I note the commitment that the Department will receive an initial assessment on the feasibility of an alternative groundwater source arising from tonight's debate and the representations in the next couple of weeks, as well as the fact the Department has instructed Irish Water to prioritise that request for the connectio…

I understood I would be taking Question No. 7 on behalf of Deputy Murnane O'Connor.

I thank the Acting Chairman.

I will not spend too much time on this question but it raises an important issue, which relates to the resources An Garda Síochána has to tackle violence against women. I know this is an issue that is close to the Minister's heart. It is sometimes referred to as domestic violence but, in fact, it is a broader issue that can occur outside the home as well. What resources are being put in place to deal with this scourge?

I acknowledge and appreciate all the work being done in this area. I recognise in particular the work done by the Minister, along with my colleague, Senator Chambers, and others, in regard to the provisions on stalking and other advances that have been made in recent times. I raise this issue as a male who has many significant females in my life, not least my daughters and wife. One of my daughters was at an event last night and, unfortunately, a shudder went through me from the involuntary fear one has that someth…

I will not dwell on this much further other than to say the Minister is correct about the role of community gardaí, which has been expanded in recent years. There is a sensitivity and awareness of the issues, particularly in domestic situations. I am thinking in particular of the Garda personnel in Naas, including Superintendent Oliver Henry, Garda Gary Cogan, Garda Shane Smith and others, who have responded so well and have really been to the fore in community policing and engaging with, and getting to know, peopl…

I acknowledge a very productive session with the Minister today at the Joint Committee on Justice on the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022, which will reform and transform the way we appoint judges going forward. However, there remains a significant gap between the numbers we have on the Bench and those of our European neighbours and international comparators. It is imperative that the Government does everything it can to address that.

I acknowledge the good work the Minister of State is doing on the gambling regulation Bill, the report on which we published recently in the committee, along with the Minister and others. Judicial numbers is a concern that I may not have expected at the outset of this Dáil term. When we began hearings at the Joint Committee on Justice, almost without exception, the witnesses on a variety of topics and areas expressed a concern that the number of judges on the Bench was inadequate. This affects a number of areas in …

The cost of one salary per year pales into insignificance when compared with the cost of court sitting day after day for a full year. It is an unfortunate comparison and I hope it is not reflective of the Government's attitude.

I welcome that response and the acknowledgement from the Government of the position. The statistics tell us that Ireland has 3.3 judges per 100,000 people, compared with an average of 21 judges per 100,000 people throughout the OECD and the EU. I know the Minister of State has acknowledged that in his response, which I welcome. It strikes me that in terms of the moves in recent years, such as the abolition of town councils by a previous Government and the moves away from subsidiarity and local representation, the m…

The working group will inform and give us an evidence base. In the past, when we were assessing increasing the number of judges, it was done in an ad hoc manner. The purpose of what we are doing now is to make sure that we have an evidence-based assessment as to how many judges we need and trying to forward-plan into the future to have those judges, as we need them, when we need them. There will also be an interim report from this working group, which will be very much considered by the Government when it is provid…

I welcome the introduction of the legislation that, as far as I can see, sets out to streamline the process of Garda compensation claims and, in effect, bring them in line with other litigation of a similar nature that goes through our courts. It also seeks to apply some of the improvements and efficiencies this Government has brought in for other similar areas to the process and streamline it in a similar way. It is a very welcome and commonsense provision. It is great to see the Government doing this and bringing…

I believe an Teachta Haughey's question was transferred to me.