I also want to welcome the family of Shane O'Farrell to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery, his loving parents, Lucia and Jim, and his sisters, Gemma, Aimee, Pia and Hannah. When Shane O'Farrell left his home in Carrickmacross on the evening of 2 August 2011 to go on a cycle in preparation for a charity triathlon, he had his whole life ahead of him. At 23 years of age, Shane had secured a law degree from University College Dublin, had just completed his masters in law at Trinity College Dublin, and would no doubt h…

I thank Senator McCormack for raising this matter. It is a great honour for me to be back in the Seanad and I hope to be here frequently. I wish to advise that, within my Department, I am delegating responsibility for youth crime to the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins. Notwithstanding that, it is an extremely important issue and I welcome the opportunity to respond to what the Senator has to say. In terms of the judge's comments, it is important that people are fully aware of the penalties that can be impos…

It is important that the Judiciary is aware of the options available under section 98 of the Children Act 2001. There are more options available other than simply a custodial sentence. I agree with the Senator that, on occasion, a custodial sentence is appropriate but the imposition of a sanction on the parent or guardian, or the imposition of an order requiring the parent or a guardian to be bound over, can also have an impact. These are sanctions that need to be given consideration. I am aware of the issues that …

I welcome those from Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School who are in the Gallery. They are a great school and it is great to see them in the Houses of the Oireachtas. Senator Gallagher raises an important issue. It is one of the most pressing issues that is facing me as the Minister for Justice. It relates to what is the overcrowding issue in our prisons. Since I have been made Minister for Justice, I have visited three prisons already. I have been to Cork Prison and Cloverhill Prison. I was in Shelton Abbey open p…

I thank Senator Gallagher. I will provide a detailed update in respect to where we are. I am advised that work is under way involving representatives from the various agencies to prepare to operationalise electronic monitoring. This includes the consideration of technology, data protection, procurement, implementation and operating model design. The project will determine in what order the various legislative provisions should be commenced, having regard to the practical and operational considerations involved with…

I am back here with such frequency that it will not be long before the Cathaoirleach is looking for a barring order against me to get me out of the place.

Fair enough. Like the Cathaoirleach, I welcome the distinguished guests from the Procedure Committee of the House of Commons. You are all very welcome to the Upper House of the Irish Parliament. The Cathaoirleach will be aware that the motion before the Seanad in effect seeks a resolution concerning the accommodation recognition payment. In short, I am asking the Seanad to approve a reduction in the payment of the accommodation recognition payment from €800 to €600. Senators will be aware that, in 2022, the Civil L…

I move the following Further Revised Estimate: Vote 24 - Department of Justice (Further Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €2,590,495,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st Day of December, 2025, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Justice, Probation Service staff and of certain other services including payments under cash-limited schemes administered by that Office, and payment of certain grants. As Deputies wi…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Carthy raised the issue of when temporary protection would be up. That is not an issue I can answer. What is apparent from the statistics is that after the war about 117,000 people from Ukraine came to Ireland and received temporary protection. The figure for Ukrainians in Ireland now is around 74,000 or 75,000, so clearly it is the case that many Ukrainians want to go back home. We all want to see an end to the war. We all want to see Ukraine survive as an indep…

I was very sorry to hear about the issues of concern Deputy Gannon raised and very pleased to hear the Department was of assistance to him. I want all Deputies to know the Department will always be of assistance in dealing with any issues like that. It is there to facilitate not just Deputies but the public.

I thank the Senator for tabling this important Commencement matter. I know the reason she is raising this is, like virtually every other Member of the Oireachtas, she wants to see more members of An Garda Síochána on the streets in their constituencies. I want to see that happen as well. We are in a very fortunate position in this country where most of the public and virtually all Members of the Oireachtas want to see more members of An Garda Síochána in their communities. The reason they want that is to ensure tha…

I thank the Senator. Immigration registration functions were performed by members of An Garda Síochána and we changed that earlier this year. Those functions have been transferred to civilians or members of staff within my Department. We need to keep trying to identify the type of work gardaí are doing at present that can be done by civilians within An Garda Síochána or, as is the case of immigration registration functions, within my Department. I am very committed to the contents of the Commission on the Future of…

I commend and thank Senator O'Loughlin for bringing forward Committee Stage of this important legislation. Like her, I also recognise the work of former Senator Lisa Chambers who played a significant role in initiating the legislation and bringing it through Second Stage in this House. When we consider what has happened in our society over the past 20 years, the real change has been the establishment of the digital sphere. If we were looking at this back in the eighties or nineties, we would not really know what we…

I commend the House on its consideration of the legislation. We have got through Committee Stage promptly. I will now go off to consider it with officials and we will remain in contact with Senator O'Loughlin.

I thank the Deputy for his very important question but I think he will agree with me it fades into insignificance when we consider the terrible events of last weekend and how they affected An Garda Síochána. Like the Deputy no doubt, I want to start these questions by extending my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Garda Kevin Flatley who gave his life in the line of duty. On that point and in answer to the Deputy's question, it is fair to say that a Commissioner, no matter who he or she is, can o…

No, a person with no policing experience will not be appointed, or recommended by me rather, for the position of Garda Commissioner. It is also important to emphasise that we have a lot of excellent candidates within An Garda Síochána who should be putting their names forward for the position of Garda Commissioner. As it such a prestigious job at such a well-resourced and high-reputation entity within the world, I have no doubt that people from outside this country will be putting their names forward. I want to see…

I agree with the Deputy's position, and that of Sinn Féin, that the standard fund threshold part of the tax system needs to be changed. It is my strong expectation that that will happen. In respect of the numbers within An Garda Síochána, as the Deputy will know from the programme for Government, we have given a commitment that we will seek to get the numbers in An Garda Síochána up by 5,000 over the course of the Government term. I have said it before; it is a challenging issue to try to get Garda numbers up but a…

I thank Deputy Gannon for this important question. Due to the rise in our population, it is important that we increase the number of spaces within prison. The Deputy asked me about measures that would increase decarceration and I will come to that presently, but it is important to say that more prison spaces are available in light of the increasing population and the ability of the authorities to prosecute serious offences and fine people who are convicted of those offences. I am tabling proposals that will present…

Since I have been made Minister, I have been to Cork Prison, Cloverhill Prison and I am going to another prison on Monday. I intend to visit every prison, if I am lucky enough to survive in office for a sufficient period of time. It is important that the crisis be addressed. It is being addressed. I know that, to deal with the specific issue the Deputy mentioned about mattresses on the floor, bunk beds are now being purchased and implemented. That is important. To be frank, I am not going down the route taken in En…

I know the Deputy did not suggest the issue about releasing serious offenders. As part of my response, though, I have to be able to say that because it is an issue that people can legitimately put to me. Regarding people with addiction, the Deputy is correct. Many of the people who are given prison sentences have addiction issues and chaotic lives. However, part of the reason judges sometimes sentence individuals who have addiction issues and chaotic lives to short terms of imprisonment is because judges think indi…