I was referring to 2024.

When I was asked that question on RTÉ, it was in the very early part of January and I was asked what the number was for last year. I thought that was a reference to 2024 and as I said to the Deputy, in 2024 it was 979. That is what I was referring to. In 2025, it was 669. The Government is entitled to take into account the consequences and cost of family reunification for individuals who are coming here sponsored by refugees. I know it is a sensitive issue but it is hugely affected by the numbers of people in gener…

I will go to the European Court of Human Rights. In its judgments it has consistently said that when it comes to family reunification, a member state is entitled to engage in a balancing act to ensure there is a fair balance between, on the one hand, the applicant's interest in being reunited with his family and, on the other, the interest of the community as a whole to control immigration with a view to protecting the economic well-being of the country, ensuring the effective integration of those granted protectio…

It is a broad collection of family members that come within the parameters of the definition. As the Deputy said, the legislation is going to be introduced. The family reunification issues will be considered on Committee Stage. I will keep an open mind in respect of it but I do think there will be changes, definitely. I will say that to the Deputy-----

-----and if he puts forward amendments, I will give consideration to them.

I am very conscious, and the Deputy will be very conscious, that we are approaching the 45th anniversary of the Stardust tragedy. It was an extraordinarily traumatic event for the people in the Deputy’s constituency. He was not alive at the time but it was an extraordinarily traumatic event. The previous Government did a very good job in seeking to resolve and address the ongoing pain that had existed for 40 years. There was the State apology. In 2024, the Government approved a two-phase approach to redress arrange…

I give the Deputy a commitment that I am going to bring proposals to the Government in the near future. I am finalising them within the Department. I want to get them right. Obviously I want to discuss them with the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in advance of bringing them to the Government. That is something I will do in the next short period of time. I do not want to give the Deputy a date and then it is not satisfied. This is not a case of phase 2 being forgotten about; that is not the issue. However, one thing I d…

I agree with the Deputy. I think the inquest was beneficial and therapeutic for the survivors. I think they were satisfied with the process that the State belatedly put in place by way of the inquest, which was important. There is no attempt on the part of the Government to move away from the decision that was previously made. Phase 2 will occur; I just want to get the proposals right. I want to discuss it with others. All I can say to the Deputy is that it is something that will happen in the near future. I repeat…

The Deputy has raised the issues of e-scooters and scramblers before. Deputy McAuliffe, who has consistently raised the issue of scramblers, is seated beside Deputy Ó Muirí. I take this opportunity to express my condolences to Grace Lynch's parents, Siobhán and Martin, on her horrific death last weekend. Obviously, I am not going to talk in too much detail about it because I am conscious that a man was charged this evening with a criminal offence. On the matter raised by the Deputy, he will be aware that regulation…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I commend Deputy McAuliffe on the role he played in enacting the amendment to the Road Traffic Act back in 2023. A significant legislative change was achieved as a result of that. Today when we all reflect on the awful death of Grace, we may think that not enough was done in respect of that legislation; a lot was done in that legislation. Most importantly, the amendment of section 35 of the Road Traffic Act brought in by that legislation allows for the Minister for Tran…

My own view is the death of Grace Lynch is a watershed moment. Sometimes those events happen and, I regret to say, her death could be a watershed in the change of attitude of policymakers, legislators and the public to scramblers. I hear what Deputy Ó Muiri said about e-scooters. They are a separate issue but the presence of scramblers on public roads, in parks and on public pathways is unacceptable. They should not be used there. They are a threat to people, not just because they are being driven dangerously but b…

The most recent information I have on the dedicated road traffic enforcement operation carried out by the Garda is for the period from Monday, 1 December 2025, to Monday, 5 January 2026. That is a period of 35 days. During this period, regrettably, there were 26 fatalities on our roads and over 70 serious collisions, which resulted in a number of people incurring serious and life-altering injuries. There was no shortage of gardaí deployed during the operation. Gardaí carried out nearly 10,000 checkpoints, comprisin…

I have some statistics for the period 1 January to 14 January 2026. I am advised gardaí performed a total of 3,599 checkpoints between those dates. There were 37 arrests made under sections 4 and 5 of the Road Traffic Act or for failure or refusal to provide a roadside breath or fluid test. Many gardaí are assigned to road policing units and they take it extremely seriously. The statistics I have provided show clearly there is a large amount of policing of roads ongoing. The problem is people continue to break the …

I agree the Garda should use advanced technology in every sphere of its work. In other aspects of criminality, technology is used to a great extent. Similarly, the Garda should be using technology. There is a very large contract in place between An Garda Síochána and GoSafe, which provides the services for the safety cameras on our roads. The more cameras that are there and the more effective they are, the safer our roads will become. What changes human behaviour on the roads is the prospect of being detected, whet…

I thank the Deputy for his question in respect of the Whitechurch addiction support programme. As the Deputy will be aware, there is funding available under the community safety fund. I think I spoke to him about it before in the justice committee. It is funding that is available to go back into local communities, particularly those that have been affected by criminality, and is the proceeds of crime. Since it was launched in 2022, it has supported 127 community safety projects all across Ireland. The fund is now m…

We had a discussion about this today at the justice committee and I mentioned that it was only last May that the DRIVE project had been launched. I know we had a discussion as to whether €280,000 was sufficient. It is the start. I want to see more money going into it and there is an ask for more money in respect of it. I am very conscious of the impact that drug-related intimidation and violence has on communities. It is important that those communities know they have the support of the State in combating that leve…

I thank the Deputy. I was humbled and in awe as well at the strength of Siobhán Lynch in what she said, having gone through such a traumatic event in her life. The Taoiseach said today that there is nothing we can really say that will alleviate the pain she and her husband, Martin, are going through. I received an email this afternoon from Grace's aunt, Rachel, who raised a number of issues with me. There is a change because there is complete determination and agreement across the House that the provisions within s…

The Government and everyone in this House is committed to banning them on public roads, in public parks and in public places. That has to be done. The Deputy asked me for a timeline. I am not supposed to reveal what is discussed at Cabinet.

However, I can tell the Deputy, having been at Cabinet this morning and having listened to the Taoiseach, there is a real commitment to ensuring this is done urgently. These are regulations that are being prepared in the Department of Transport. They will be signed by the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, who has delegated responsibility for road safety. There is a real urgency coming from the top of Government, from the Taoiseach, and all of us, to ensure that is done as quickly as possible. I cannot give the Depu…

Tairgim: "Go léifear an Bille an Dara hUair anois." I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Tá áthas orm an Bille a chur i láthair sa Teach. I am pleased to introduce Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. The Bill introduces important reforms to our criminal law and civil law across a broad range of areas and delivers on several programme for Government commitments. While miscellaneous provisions Bills often lack the unifying theme of other Bills, three primary themes emerge fr…