I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: Proposal for a Council Decision on the signing of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea on the…

I thank the three Deputies for their contributions. I welcome that all parties in the House are supporting the opt-in to the proposal in terms of the signing and execution of the agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea. It is clearly the case that PNR data is extremely important in combating serious crime. When we look at the agreements with third countries that have been opted into by Ireland, we can see that it is effective for us to ensure that we are at the forefront of combating such cri…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea on …

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach very much. I am very pleased to be back in the Seanad. I hope Senators had a good and well-deserved break. I am pleased to be back here working with them again. I am seeking the approval of Seanad Éireann to opt in, as the Leas-Chathaoirleach said, to two proposals for Council decisions to sign and conclude an agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea, which is known to most of us as South Korea. That is an agreement on the transfer of passenger name record data …

I thank Senators Gallagher, Kelleher and Murphy for their support and, indeed, the support of their parties. I am pleased to see that there is broad agreement across the House that this PNR data regime is important for the purpose of investigating serious crime and terrorist activity. One of the things that is most notable about crime in the past decade or 20 years is that it has become an extraordinarily international business. It is an activity that knows no jurisdiction or no boundaries. People who want to commi…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". I am very pleased to introduce this Bill to the House, following its passage through Seanad Éireann. In fact, we had five days of debate in the Upper House during which the Bill was very carefully considered and debated. As a result of the debate, a number of amendments were agreed. I too agreed to them and I will bring them forward on Committee Stage. I will discuss those amendments presently. I look forward to hearing the contributions of colleagues as we continu…

Before responding to the substance of the debate, I will refer to two distinct issues that were raised by Deputies during the course of the debate. First of all, I join Deputy Ó’Murchú in expressing my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the solicitor, James MacGuill, who died recently. James was one of the finest solicitors in the country. He was a formidable opponent and he was fearless in representing his clients. Anyone who had the privilege to do a case with James MacGuill, as I did, or indeed…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration pursuant to Standing Orders 103(2)(b) and 188(1).

I thank the Deputy for putting down this important Topical Issue. Of course, I am here to answer it. I am the Minister for justice, and it is a very important issue that he has raised. I have great respect for not just solicitors and barristers, but for everyone who operates within the legal system. I worked as a barrister for 30 years. On every case I did, I worked with solicitors, so I am fully aware of the central role played by the legal profession in the effective administration of justice and that is particul…

It is the civil.

The Law Society produced a very good report earlier this year. One of the issues identified in the report, Justice Indicators, is that criminal cases in Ireland take considerably longer than criminal cases in the rest of Europe. In terms of the process of trying to speed up the administration of justice, there are very few levers I have. However, I genuinely believe one of the levers I have is the mechanism of payment. If I have in place a mechanism of payment that incentivises adjournments and delays, that is nece…

Every Friday I see the list coming in. It is happening across the country that the criminal legal aid system is operating within the District Courts. I appreciate there is an issue in respect of Dublin. The Deputy said that I might not receive political benefit in this. There is no political benefit in this for me by having a row with solicitors. I do not want to have a row with solicitors. I want to have an effective criminal justice system operating and I want to do something more about civil legal aid as well. I…

I have changed before and I said in the letter yesterday that when it comes to the issues such as the Children's Court, once I get the data if it looks like I need to change it, then I will change it.

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 2nd July, 2026. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Deputies for meeting to discuss this motion concerning the order I propose to make, in conjunction with the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to reduce the monthly financial contribution payable under the ac…

I thank colleagues for their contributions. What is apparent from them is that there is a divergence of opinion not just between the Government and the Opposition but throughout the House when it comes to how we respond to this issue. In a way, I think this reflects the complexity of the issue. It is sometimes healthy that there are diverging views around this House and issues are not just presented in a binary way. There are, however, two points on which I think there is general agreement in this House. The first …

I too welcome the family of Jennifer Poole. The Ceann Comhairle has identified them individually. I specifically highlight Jason Poole, who has been steadfast in his support for this legislation. That has been hugely important to me in trying to advance this legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas. I also acknowledge the role played by all colleagues in this House. We are all aware of the background to Jennie's law and its origins in the brutal and senseless murder of a young woman. That was outlined durin…

I thank colleagues for their contribution. I believe the legislation I presented is the correct way to go. I know colleagues are well-intentioned in what they are seeking to do but let us recall what was the motivation for this legislation. The motivation was the case of the murder of Jennifer Poole. Had the previous convictions of the person who murdered her been publicly available that would have had an impact upon her. This mechanism, the statutory scheme I am putting in place, would have covered his convictions…

I thank Deputies Carthy and Gannon for their amendments. Deputy Gannon's amendment seeks to cover a situation where the victim is deceased, so it is either a case of murder or manslaughter. In that instance, the provision as it is at present, in subsection (4), states, "In relation to subsection (2)(d), where the victim is deceased, it shall be at the discretion of the court as to whether a judgment is to be included in the Register." When it comes to a court case where somebody has been convicted of murder or mans…

I thank Deputy Carthy for putting down this amendment. I will start by disagreeing with him, however. I disagree with him when he says that the bar is incredibly high for the triggering of this statutory scheme. That is not correct. If the Deputy looks at the legislation, he will see 17 offences will trigger the scheme. Seventeen pieces of legislation or 17 convictions that will trigger it. These are convictions that are happening in Circuit Criminal Courts, and, to a lesser extent, Central Criminal Courts, on a co…

I thank colleagues for their contributions. As Deputies know, I have no difficulty accepting amendments from colleagues in this House if I believe they are correct and beneficial to the legislation. I have done it before and will do it again. I hear what Deputy Kelly says but collegiality does not come into it. We can be very collegial but when it comes to legislation, I cannot just decide that I want to be friendly with people in the House and, so, I will accept the amendment.