I thank Deputy Ward and Deputy Murphy for their contributions. Deputy Ward wondered whether I had any concern that the definition of terrorist activity or terrorist-linked activity could, in some respect, interfere with and criminalise legitimate protest as we know it. No, we are not in a situation where we have a similar type of laws here, nor would I or the Government ever propose similar type of laws here as those which operate under the terrorist Act in the UK. I think it is section 13 of that Act which makes i…

Deputy Murphy also raised a question as to whether, under the definition that is put forward here in amendment No. 7, the fuel protestors would come within terrorist activity or terrorist-linked activity. The answer to the Deputy's question is "No". If you look at the definition, you obviously have to recognise the serious offences contained within Part 1 of Schedule 2-----

-----and there is an understanding as to what it, in fact, means.

I thank the Deputy for the amendment. I assure him he can continue to commemorate whatever patriot dead he wishes, now or in years to come, and if this provision is enacted, it will have no impact on what he seeks to do. It is important to point out the type of terrorist activity that is going to be covered by this legislation. Earlier I gave the example of what happened in the Bataclan in 2015. I am sure the Deputy will agree that if somebody had sought to encourage and incite the individuals who carried out that …

It will not be a function of a future Minister to interpret this section if it becomes part of the law. It will be a matter for An Garda Síochána in the first instance to consider whether or not there has been a breach of this section. It will then be a matter for the DPP to decide whether or not a person deserves to be prosecuted for public provocation to commit a terrorist offence. It will finally be a matter for the court and the jury, if it is on indictment, to interpret and decide whether or not an offence has…

I move amendment No. 10: In page 7, to delete line 7 and substitute the following: “(II) an offence under subparagraph (i) of paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 6,”. This is a technical amendment that refers to the offence of travel for the purpose of terrorism. The precise requirement this amendment is dealing with is the provision for the offence of travelling from the State to another state for the purpose of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. In the Bill as it stands, when providing f…

I move amendment No. 15: In page 7, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 5 of Principal Act 6. Section 5 of the Principal Act is amended by— (a) the insertion of the following subsection: “(2A) A body corporate that directs the activities of a terrorist group (at any level of its organisational structure) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to a fine.”, and (b) the substitution, in subsection (4), of “Subsections (1), (2) and (2A)” for “Su…

I move amendment No. 16: In page 7, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 6 of Principal Act 7. Section 6 of the Principal Act is amended— (a) in subsection (1), by— (i) the substitution of the following subparagraphs for subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a): “(ii) attempts to engage in a terrorist activity, other than a terrorist activity consisting of— (I) a threat referred to in paragraph (c) of the definition of ‘terrorist activity’, (II) an act that is an offence under section 3…

I move amendment No. 17: In page 7, to delete lines 35 and 36, and in page 8, to delete lines 1 to 6 and substitute the following: “(a) in subsection (1), by— (i) the substitution of “Subject to subsections (2C), (2D), (2E), (2F) and (2G), a person guilty” for “A person guilty”, (ii) the substitution, in paragraph (d), of “subject to paragraph (f), to imprisonment” for “to imprisonment”, (iii) the substitution, in paragraph (e), of— (I) “paragraph (e)” for “paragraph (c)” in subparagraph (i), (II) “paragraph (f)” f…

I move amendment No. 18: In page 8, line 21, to delete “offence.”.” and substitute the following: “offence.”, (c) by the insertion of the following subsections: “(2C) A body corporate guilty of an offence under section 6 shall be liable on conviction on indictment to a fine of such amount as, having regard to the gravity of the offence, the court considers appropriate. (2D) A person guilty of an offence under subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 6 of attempting to commit the offence under…

I move amendment No. 19: In page 8, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 13 of Principal Act 7. Section 13 of the Principal Act is amended by— (a) the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (5): “(5) (a) In proceedings for an offence under subsection (1), it shall not be necessary to prove that— (i) the funds concerned were wholly or partly used for the purpose of carrying out an act referred to in that subsection (1), or (ii) the accused was aware of the specific…

I thank Deputy Ward for his question. He accurately sets out the purpose of amendment No. 19 in respect of the offence of financing terrorism. One of the requirements would be that the prosecution would have to show that the funds were used to commit specific terrorist offences. That was something that was too specific. If somebody gives money for the purpose of terrorist activity, it should not be a requirement on the prosecutor or the State to establish that he or she had knowledge that it was going to be used fo…

I move amendment No. 20: In page 8, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 43 of Principal Act 8. Section 43 of the Principal Act is amended— (a) in subsection (1), by the substitution of “subsection (1), (2), (3) or (4) of section 13” for “13(1) or (2)”, and (b) in subsection (3), by— (i) the substitution of “subsection (1), (2), (3) or (4) of section 13” for “13(1) or (2)” where it first occurs, (ii) the insertion, in clause (I) of subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a), of “or subsect…

Deputy Carthy has raised the issue of temporary protection. At the outset of all these debates, it is important that we understand and emphasise the reason temporary protection was initiated in 2022. The reason, of course, was the unlawful and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It was because of this that is was agreed across the board in the European Union that temporary protection would be initiated. It was the first it was initiated. Temporary protection is designed to provide protection which is temporary, …

As the Deputy knows, temporary protection will continue until March 2027. A decision will have to be made by the European Council in respect of what will happen after that. My view is that it will likely be extended, but on a restricted basis. In terms of what the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, and I are doing, the proposals which we have outlined and which will hopefully be confirmed by Cabinet on Tuesday week will provide an opportunity for people to transition to other legal statuses before the end of tempora…

The Minister for housing, Deputy James Browne, was very much part of the deliberations of the Cabinet subcommittee on migration when the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, and I presented the proposals. That is an issue that has been carefully considered. I think Sinn Féin is supportive of the measures I have announced.

I am giving you an answer here and now. I am very pleased to note that he described my reply as "incredibly interesting". That is the first time anyone has described a response of mine as incredibly interesting. It is important to note that there will be measures put in place and there will be engagement with the beneficiaries of temporary protection to ensure there is no cliff-edge. When we look at the level of supports that have been provided to date by the Irish Government, we can see that they have been extraor…

The local community safety partnerships are extremely important in terms of what the Government and I are trying to do within local communities. I commenced the operation of these partnerships in April of last year. Throughout the country there have been a number of meetings of the local community safety partnerships. I think they will be a major improvement on what was there before, namely the joint policing committees. I am very pleased to note that the Dublin Central local community safety partnership had its fi…

In terms of the narrative the Deputy outlined in respect of his constituent, I repeatedly attend meetings of residents' associations at which, very appropriately, members of An Garda Síochána turn up. The message I consistently hear is that if you want to get the assistance of An Garda Síochána, the most appropriate thing to do is to phone 999. I know that we sometimes think we should only phone 999 if it is an emergency. In fact, the most effective way of having a complaint processed expeditiously and efficiently …

Residential areas are not being left behind. What is happening is that increased Garda resources are being placed in areas that require high-visibility policing. We are starting in the inner city. As stated, this will be rolled out to more residential areas and throughout the country. The recorded crime statistics released on 26 March 2026 are quite revealing. They report a reduction in recorded crime in nine categories for 2025 in the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, north central and north Garda divisions. These …