I move amendment No. 7: In page 5, line 3, to delete “3 years” and substitute “5 years”.

I move amendment No. 8: In page 5, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “(9A) Notwithstanding subsection (9), the court may, in making an order under subsection (2), specify that a longer period shall apply before an application for removal may be made, having regard to— (a) the nature and seriousness of the offence, and (b) the need to protect the safety and wellbeing of the victim and, where relevant, any children or dependents.”.

I move amendment No. 9: In page 5, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “(ai) section 2, where the offence is committed against a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant or person in an intimate relationship;”.

I move amendment No. 10: In page 5, line 31, after “section 2” to insert “or section 3”.

I move amendment No. 12: In page 5, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “(j) an offence under section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.”.

I move amendment No. 15: In page 6, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “(14) The Courts Service shall ensure that, when the Register is made available to the public— (a) a statement is included to the effect that the absence of a person’s name from the Register does not indicate that such person does not pose a risk or has not previously engaged in domestic violence or abuse, and (b) information is provided directing users to appropriate support services, including national and local domestic violence…

I welcome that statement from the Minister and on that basis I will withdraw the amendment.

I move amendment No. 16: In page 6, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “(14) In deciding whether to make an order under subsection (2), the court shall have regard to— (a) the safety and wellbeing of the victim, including any risk of intimidation, retaliation or further harm, and (b) the safety and welfare of any children or dependents connected to the victim or the convicted person.”.”. Again, this is just to insert subsection (14) in page 6. It provides that in deciding whether to make an order unde…

Hear, hear.

There are a number of amendments coming from the Seanad and I do not oppose any of them. I seek your indulgence, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, to make a number of points at this stage rather than going back and forth. As I outlined on different Stages of the Bill, we fully support the legislation to restrict guardianship rights in a situation where a person has murdered a child's other guardian. I again commend David French, the brother of Valerie, who this law will be named after, on everything he has done to ensure th…

It is quite phenomenal that we are dealing with such a number of amendments from the Seanad. I reiterate a point I have made on every Stage of this Bill. Before the Minister gets overly sensitive, I absolutely accept that miscellaneous Bills have their place, particularly when we are dealing with minor technical matters or matters that are in some way related. There are important provisions in this legislation that I welcome. The extensive range of unrelated issues dealt with, without what I consider to be appropri…

The questions put to her on that day at the justice committee still have not been answered. We still do not know the rationale for the changes, the way they were brought about and the urgency with which they were brought about. I just do not think it is appropriate that such new matters were brought into the Bill on every Stage, including during the Stages in the committee and in the Dáil. I hope the Minister will reflect on all of that over the summer. It is for these reasons that I have opposed the Bill at every …

I thank the Minister for accepting my amendment on character references in trials. Unfortunately, we did not get to the amendment on Committee Stage. Reading back on the report, if I had been eating cornflakes, I would have nearly choked on them, such was my surprise that the Minister had accepted my amendment. I thank him for and commend him on doing so because it is a significant change to the law. It is a simple change, but will be helpful to victims and their families in their pursuit of justice. The use of cha…

It is fitting that this legislation will be known as Jennie's law in memory of Jennifer Poole who was murdered in 2021 by her former partner Gavin Murphy. It was only after Jennifer's death that her family became aware of Murphy's history of domestic violence. The Bill introduces a register of domestic violence judgments that will apply to individuals convicted of domestic violence against a partner or former partner. Ba mhaith liom tosú le moladh a thabhairt do Jason Poole. Táim cinnte go bhfuil a theaghlach an-bh…

Well done.

There is chaos in our courts as a result of the justice Minister's mishandling of the criminal legal aid scheme review. We now see solicitors resigning from the criminal legal aid panel, increasing numbers of cases being adjourned, people going without legal representation and others with no legal expertise attempting to represent themselves. This is a criminal justice system on the brink of collapse, and the justice Minister seems entirely satisfied to let this continue. Will the Government allow this to continue …

The engagement has not taken place.

Will engagement take place?

We will be supporting this amendment to the Seanad amendment. As I stated on earlier Stages, Sinn Féin supports the use of biometric recognition technology for serious crime investigations, national security purposes and missing persons cases. However, we have also made it clear at every stage that the use of biometric technology has to be accompanied by strong safeguards to prevent discrimination, excessive surveillance, the misuse of personal data and inadequate oversight. We brought forward amendments in that ve…

As the Minister of State said, this motion facilitates the State opting in to Council Decision (EU) 2023/1076, relating to the EU's ratification of the Istanbul Convention in areas related to judicial co-operation, asylum, and non-refoulement. Sinn Féin will not be opposing this motion. Primarily, as recognised by Ireland having the opt-out under Protocol 21, matters related to justice should be dealt with through domestic law, with the exception being areas where cross-border and international co-operation is requ…