We are not opposing this amendment. I am advised that its provisions, which relate to international obligations, would need further consideration in drafting to ensure they have the intended effect. It is, in essence, a drafting matter and is not insurmountable.

I am advised that the postponement of the coming into effect of the Bill is, broadly speaking, a policy matter. Therefore, I do not oppose the amendment. I am further advised that there is no legal or practical need to set out the reasons the legislation is or is not coming into effect immediately on its passing by the Oireachtas. It appears the only legal effect of the amendment as currently worded would be to create a delay in the coming into effect of the Bill. If the intention is that the amendment would requir…

I am here to introduce the resolution to extend the sunset clause in the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021. The extension of this Act will allow the hospitality sector to continue to provide the sale or supply of intoxicating liquor in outdoor seating areas. Senators will be aware that the Act was introduced in July 2021. The provisions of the 2021 Act were in place until 30 November 2021, and have been further extended seven times by resolutions of each of the Houses of the Oireachtas, in November 2021…

I thank all the Senators for their time and their contributions. We hope the extension of the Act until 30 November 2025 sends out a message about our determination to continue to support and provide clarity to business, An Garda Síochána and local communities. This is an important extension, which clarifies the position of licence holders who wish to sell and serve alcohol adjacent to a licensed premises in an area approved by the relevant local authority. With the extension of this Act, continued certainty is pro…

I, too, express my sincere sympathies and condolences to the family of Garda Kevin Flatley on the truly horrific circumstances of his passing. I attended Henry Street Garda station in Limerick earlier on this week to sign the book of condolences and spoke to the Garda chief subsequently to convey our feelings and thoughts to his colleague and the Garda community up and down the country. I thank the Deputy for his question. The Department is leading an ambitious programme of reform outlined in the first family justi…

As regards judicial resourcing, the Judicial Planning Working Group was established in 2021 in line with the previous programme for Government and submitted its report in February 2023. This led to the appointment of 24 additional judges in 2023 and Government approval for the appointment of an additional 20 judges in October 2024. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, intends to request the Judicial Appointments Commission to initiate the selection processes for these judges later this year. Taken together, these two …

I will revert to the Deputy on the commencements. Our intention is to ensure that the new family law courts are sufficiently funded. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is very conscious of the need to resource the new family law courts system and we are committed to ensuring that it is properly funded to deliver meaningful reform. In budget 2025, the Department of Justice allocated an additional €11 million to the Courts Service, €3 million of which is earmarked for the children's court advocate project, which will …

The Deputy is right about the issue he has raised. It is something I and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and indeed the Department, are aware of. It is my understanding that a submission is being made to the Department on that and it will be given due consideration. We do recognise it absolutely as a serious issue.

I assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality through investment in youth justice services. Our commitment is clearly outlined by our youth justice strategy. A top priority of the strategy is the expansion and deepening of the services offered to young people by youth diversion projects. These projects are community-based, multi-agency crime prevention initiatives which seek to divert young people who have become involved in crime or ant…

I mentioned there were two new projects being stood up in east Clare and north Tipperary. That confirms we have full national coverage for youth diversion projects. Of the 93 projects, three operate in County Meath. Of the three Meath programmes, the ones in Navan and Duleek in south-east Meath are operated by Foróige and the SMART Project in Trim is operated by the Crann Support Group. In total, these projects will benefit from funding of approximately €1.4 million in 2025. This represents an increase of over €800…

The community safety fund is currently open for applications and is funded by the proceeds of crime seized by CAB. As the Deputy correctly said, the idea is to make available those proceeds to communities that have been impacted by crime. I will revert to the Deputy on his specific query, as I am not in a position to give him an answer about it now.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss efforts to divert our young people from crime. At the core of our diversion efforts is the fact that all young people deserve the opportunity to improve their quality of life. We believe they deserve to have choices and be enabled to make better life decisions for themselves. Directly intervening to support our young people, especially those who are most at risk, is vital to build stronger and safer communities. As Minister of State, I am glad to have the opportunity to invest i…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for the opportunity to have the debate and I thank all of the Senators who have made a contribution on this very important topic. It is clear from the contributions that this issue is one of great importance to Members of this House. All would agree that we must continue to provide opportunities for young people to contribute to society in a productive and meaningful way. We all have that shared interest. It is also clear from the contributions that this cannot be achieved by one…

I thank Deputies for their contributions to this important debate. We have listened carefully to what has been said today, and we can all agree on the importance of this opt-in. In summary, this proposal was presented by the European Commission to the Council on 14 February 2025. It is for an amending regulation that will update and replace Annexes A and B of recast Regulation 2015/848. These annexes are decisive in defining the scope of the application of Regulation 2015/848 of the European Parliament and of the C…

The issue of community safety is something that I know is a top priority for the Members of this House. There is no doubt that supporting our young people, particularly those who need it most, will play a central part in achieving this goal. As the new Minister of State, I am filled with hope and optimism for what we can achieve together. The measure of a safe community is how we care for each other and the most vulnerable in our society. How we care for our young people in particular is central to this goal. The y…

I thank the Deputy for his long-standing interest in this issue and for raising it. Tackling the scourge of drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, which inflict intimidation, violence and misery on families and communities in rural Ireland, is a top priority for the Government and our Department. As part of budget 2025, €36 million has been allocated to youth justice services. This investment will facilitate an increase in the capacity of youth diversion projects for the young people who nee…

The Deputy represents a Border constituency and I re-emphasise there is ongoing close co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland to tackle cross-Border criminality, including through the mechanism of the joint agency task force established under the 2015 Northern Ireland Fresh Start Agreement. This task force is producing results and helping to keep people safe in really practical, visible ways through customs seizures, identifying victims of human trafficking and joint days o…

Deputy Smith has referenced community safety and criminality in rural areas in particular, as has Deputy Ó Murchú. I reiterate that rural and community safety is not just a job for An Garda Síochána alone. It requires a multiagency, multisectoral and a whole-of-government response. Supporting the work of our national rural safety forum, the Department of Justice first published the Rural Safety Plan 2022-2024. That plan has a vision to ensure people in communities in Ireland feel safe and are safe in their homes, i…

I thank the Deputy for his question. I assure him the Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy. Our budget for 2025 saw an unprecedented level of funding of €2.48 billion for the year which, as I referenced previously, is a 27% increase since 2020. I have also referenced that we had 149 new gardaí passed out two weeks ago and that we saw more than 200 trainees enter Templemore …

The Deputy is correct to raise the issues that impact on his constituency. There is no doubt that the three of us here on the Front Bench are taking note of what he is saying and we will convey his views to the Garda Commissioner. To reiterate, a number of years ago, this House passed a major Bill, which means the entire operational side of An Garda Síochána is in the gift of the Garda Commissioner and his office. It is he and his team who decide upon the allocation of manpower within each Garda division and the nu…