I might respond formally to Deputy Gannon's amendments. I understand the purpose of amendment No. 3 would be to delete the reference to "manifestly unfounded" contained in section 34E of the proposed Part 4A. Section 34E transposes Article 11 of the directive under which a court may strike out proceedings that have been initiated against a person on account of their engagement in public participation without proceeding to a full hearing if satisfied they are manifestly unfounded. I understand the Deputy's desire to…

I move amendment No. 6: In page 16, lines 10 to 12, to delete all words from and including “under” in line 10 down to and including line 12 and substitute “to which Schedule 2 refers, or”. This group of amendments makes changes to section 18 of the Bill, which concerns alternatives to legal proceedings. Amendments Nos. 6 and 7 make minor drafting changes to sections 34I and 34J. Amendments Nos. 8 and 9 concern the insertion of a new subsection into section 34J that provides that the court may adjourn proceedings to…

I move amendment No. 7: In page 16, lines 35 to 38, to delete all words from and including “(if” in line 35 down to and including line 38 and substitute “his or her compliance with subsection (1).”.

I move amendment No. 8: In page 16, between lines 38 and 39, to insert the following: “(3) If the originating document referred to in subsection (2) is not accompanied by a statutory declaration made in accordance with that subsection, the court concerned shall adjourn the proceedings for such period as it considers reasonable in the circumstances to enable the practising solicitor concerned to comply with paragraphs (a) to (d) of subsection (1) and provide the court with such declaration or, if the solicitor has a…

I move amendment No. 9: In page 16, line 39, to delete “(3)” and substitute “(4)”.

I move amendment No. 10: In page 16, after line 40, to insert the following: “ Effect of specified ADR procedures on limitation periods 34K. In reckoning a period of time for the purposes of any limitation period under section 11 of the Act of 1957 applicable to the bringing of a defamation action, the following periods of time shall be disregarded: (a) where a complaint is made to the Press Council to which Schedule 2 refers, the period beginning on the date of the making of the complaint and ending on the date of…

I move amendment No. 11: In page 17, line 2, to delete “ 34K. ” and substitute “ 34L. ”. Amendments Nos. 11 to 13, inclusive, adjust references to reflect the inclusion of the new section 34K.

I move amendment No. 12: In page 17, line 29, to delete “ 34L. ” and substitute “ 34M. ”.

I move amendment No. 13: In page 17, line 30, to delete “section 34K(1)(a)” and substitute “section 34L(1)(a)”.

I move amendment No. 14: In page 18, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “Circuit Court identification order 19. The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 44: “45. (1) The Circuit Court (in this section referred to as the ‘court’) shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine an application in accordance with this section. (2) An application shall be made by an applicant— (a) in good faith, and (b) on notice to the relevant intermediary service provider concern…

I thank Deputy Carthy for his contribution. This is probably the most consequential amendment we have discussed this evening. It will probably be of the most assistance to people in Ireland who are concerned and affected by defamation. As I said, the most common form of defamation in Ireland is not carried out by the media. In fact, the media are much more careful and responsible than in the vast amount of other countries. That is why the media in Ireland have such a good reputation. Perhaps it is not acknowledged …

As that is the last section, may I identify some provisions I may bring forward on Report Stage?

I wish to indicate to the House that I intend to bring forward some further amendments, about some of which we are not yet clear as to the exact placing within the Bill. Those amendments will include an amendment to provide for clearer and simpler defence of fair and reasonable publication in the public interest, which is particularly important to protect responsible public interest journalism, a small number of additional amendments to Part 8 of the Bill in relation to alternative dispute resolution and an amendme…

That has not been set yet.

I thank Senator Keogan for raising this important matter. It is unquestionably the case that we have a problem in respect of prison overcrowding. It is also the case that we need to make additional space available in our prisons in order to deal with an increase in the prison population over the past number of years. A great deal of work has been done to date to enhance prison infrastructure, provide additional capacity and explore alternatives to prison for those who are non-violent or non-serious offenders. The p…

I will clarify what I said in case there is any ambiguity. I said the Department had revoked the ministerial order put in place for the Thornton Hall site and that there were plans to develop a replacement order in the coming months. That is what I indicated to the Senator. In terms of Thornton Hall being used as a prison, it is unquestionably the case that we need further prison space. That is why the programme for Government commits to providing 1,500 new spaces. Part of that will have to be the construction of a…

I thank Senator Kennelly for raising this important matter. I am well aware of the usefulness and significance of CCTV footage from my time as Minister for Justice and, indeed, before. Last Friday, I was in Anglesea Street Garda station in Cork where I was given a presentation on the vast array of CCTV footage that is available to gardaí as a result of CCTV cameras placed in Cork city. I saw the same when I visited Store Street Garda station in Dublin. So, CCTV is hugely beneficial. It assists gardaí in the investi…

I note the Senator's point about the CCTV footage from the Dublin riots. He is correct in stating that it was very helpful to An Garda Síochána in seeking to identify and prosecute individuals involved in the riots. I am aware of the confusion that can sometimes exist around the process for local authorities to apply. The Senator will be aware that I commenced the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 last week. Under this Act, provision is made for the establishment of local community safety partnership…

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. I commend her on her tireless advocacy on behalf of citizens and people in Dublin Central. I am fully aware of the issue of retail crime, not just in the constituency of Dublin Central but in the cities and towns throughout Ireland. It is a significant issue for people who are trying to run businesses in those towns and cities. The statistics the Senator identified illustrate that. This is something that is costing small businesses €1.6 billion a year, which is …

It is important to emphasise, as I always do, that one of the problems I face as Minister for Justice is that people want to see more gardaí in every community. It is a great advantage we have in Ireland. In some other countries, people do not want to see a police force in their communities because they do not trust it. The overwhelming majority of Irish people trust An Garda Síochána and want to see members in their communities. I should also have pointed out in my response that the Department of Enterprise, Trade…