I thank the Deputy for his amendments. Amendment No. 1 seeks to substitute section 5(2) of the Bill and, in doing so, seeks to provide that the chairman of the inquiry would, instead of specifying the questions he wishes to have asked of an officeholder or former officeholder, specify, “the topics, areas of inquiry, or matters on which the Chairman requests that evidence be taken". I note that the Deputy has not put down a similar amendment to section 6, which deals with requests for assistance from former holders …

I thank the Deputy for these amendments. As we understand it, the intent of the amendments to section 5(4) of the Bill is to narrow the circumstances in which the head of the State body is required to refuse to accede to a request for assistance for reasons linked to the sovereignty or security of the State or other essential interests of the State. We do not believe that this amendment achieves that. Rather, it would seem to have the effect of lowering the threshold for refusal. The test, as set out in section 5(4…

I thank the Deputy for his amendments. As I understand the Deputy’s proposed amendment to section 5(5) and its equivalent in section 6(5), he is seeking to introduce a form of compulsion for former officeholders, be they past members of An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces or the Civil Service or former ministerial officeholders, to give evidence before the High Court. This would be subject to the person concerned having the right to demonstrate that answering the questions would give rise to a risk of prejudice t…

The Deputy is seeking to insert a new section after section 5 of the Bill providing for the taking of written witness statements from officeholders and former officeholders. The statements would be provided to the designated person, who would in turn provide them to the chairman of the inquiry. If the chairman is satisfied with the contents, he may decide that he does not require the person concerned to give oral evidence. I note that no provision is made in respect of former ministerial officeholders, which presen…

I touched on the difficulties with amendment No. 20 in my remarks on amendment No. 1. As it is linked to the change proposed to section 5(2), which has not been accepted, I cannot accept this amendment. This also applies to amendment No. 21. The amendment to substitute section 9 would fundamentally alter the bespoke legal mechanism being provided for in the Bill, which is designed to enable the taking of oral evidence in a manner that protects the essential interests of the State and the rights of witnesses. On thi…

The amendment would insert a new subsection in section 11 after subsection (4) dealing with the rights of core participants to the inquiry. The core participants are largely family members and have a formal status before the inquiry with rights to receive documents and make submissions to the chairman. There are 62 core participants, of whom 58 comprise families or groups of families represented by a range of legal firms. The Bill makes provision for them to attend and hear at first hand the evidence given before t…

The Deputy is seeking to insert a new subsection in section 11, after subsection (4), dealing with the right of the chairman and counsel to the inquiry to make submissions or representations to the nominated judge concerning the scope, relevance and permissible extent of questioning under sections 9 and 10. It appears to extend to the questions that might be put by the nominated judge, core participants or their legal representatives, or the nominated judge him or herself. In any event, it is linked to the Deputy's…

The Deputy's amendment seeks to limit the grounds on which a designated person may refuse to answer a question asked by or on behalf of the chairman of the inquiry under subsection (10). The amendment is drafted on the basis that many of the Deputy's earlier amendments have been accepted and is therefore not amenable to being accepted for that reason alone. Providing, as section 11(5)(b) of the Bill does, that the witness is not required to answer any of the questions put by the chairman, or by counsel to the inqui…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. As Senators will be well aware, oil and gas prices have been volatile since the conflict began in the Middle East and the situation is dynamic. Furthermore, the issue of Ireland’s energy security has been at the forefront of this Government’s mind for quite some time. Energy Security in Ireland to 2030 was published in November 2023 and outlines a strategy to ensure energy security in Ireland for this decade, while ensuring a sustainable transition to a carbon neutral energy system by 205…

I thank Senator Keogan for raising the matter, which I am taking of behalf of the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan. I assure the Senator that it is a central priority for our Department that our migration laws are robust and enforced. Over the last number of years, there has been a significantly increased investment into the international protection system to improve efficiencies and output, as well as enhancing the application, interview and decision-making process for applicants. In 2025, the International Protection…

As the Senator will be aware, Ireland has opted in to the EU asylum and migration pact, which will come into effect in June of this year. The pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the European Union and through the introduction of streamlined and faster processing times. As part of efforts to improve efficiencies in the processing of applications, applications have been processed at both the IPO offices in Mount Str…

I thank the Deputies for their productive engagement during today's debate. I will convey the many assurances of support for the passing of this Bill to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. My belief and that of the Government is that we must do all we can to assist the inquiry so that its investigation into the fundamental question of whether the bombing could reasonably have been prevented is as comprehensive as possible. Actions speak louder than words, and the Government has demonstrated its commitment through the…

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).

The Government is committed to the principle that everyone, wherever they live in Ireland, should be able to feel safe. Building safe and secure communities by investing in An Garda Síochána is a top priority for the Government. However, the introduction of local community safety partnerships around the country represents a new and more collaborative approach to community safety. They are an important step towards a more collaborative, responsive and locally driven model of public safety. The safety partnerships br…

Budget 2026 provided €8 million for the National Office for Community Safety. That funding will support the functions of the office, which is developing a national strategy for improving community safety. Each safety partnership is supported by a dedicated community safety co-ordinator and an administrator. Both of these permanent positions are funded by the Department of justice and hosted within each local authority. The community safety co-ordinator will support the safety partnership in its work. It will also b…

As I said, a safety co-ordinator and an administrator have been funded. Equally, many of the main participants on the new safety partnerships are State agencies that are also very adequately funded, such as An Garda Síochána, Tusla, the HSE and local authorities. The whole idea of these partnerships is to bring people together, along with community representatives, to make sure the priorities, needs, demands and asks of the local communities are being prioritised into action plans, particularly by the State agencie…

I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for raising this matter. The construction of a purpose-built family law courts complex at Hammond Lane is a key priority for the Courts Service and is included in the national development plan. The new Dublin family courts complex will be a modern, purpose-built 19-courtroom facility, where family law cases can be held in a dignified, secure and non-threatening environment, with a range of support services to hand. It has been designed and will be built with the specific needs of family…

I thank the Senator. As I stated, the Dublin family courts complex will be a six-storey-over-basement building that will provide 19 family law courtrooms, staff and judicial accommodation, consultation space, facilities for the Legal Aid Board and legal practitioners, and accommodation or a range of services that operate in the area of family law, including mediation services and providers of domestic violence support services. The building will have a variety of public waiting areas, including child- and family-fr…

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. At the outset, it is important to note that coroners are independent office holders whose core function is to investigate sudden and unexplained deaths so that a death certificate can be issued. While the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, recognises the significance and sensitivity of the coronial investigation process for loved ones of the bereaved, neither the Minister nor his …

It is important to note that policy and operational responsibilities for the provision of post-mortem examination services to support the work of the Coroner Service are supported by several Departments and agencies. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is responsible for the legislation underpinning the work of coroners while the provision of post-mortem examination services is largely provided through health service personnel. In October 2024, following a wide-ranging consultation, the Government…