We will of course engage with the Deputy to consider the legislation and seek views and opinions on it as well. For clarity, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 is the responsibility of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and we may need that engagement aspect as well. I get what the Deputy is trying to do here, though, and I fully respect his motivation, which is a concern around the impact this situation is having on young people and the dangers involved. I refer to the Deputy's description of it as roulet…

The Deputy is entirely right. We have a commitment to double the number of refuge spaces under the third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. For the avoidance of doubt, this is to double the number of refuge spaces, bringing it to 280. As the Deputy will be aware, Tusla reviewed the accommodation services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and as part of that endeavour, it identified priority locations where between 50 and 60 new refuge places are needed. Further …

I assure the Deputy, on my part and those of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, that this is a major area of priority in the Department of Justice and across the Government. The Deputy referred to the familicide review and we do have that report in the Department. I have considered it in quite a lot of detail. I met the commissioner of that report and her researcher recently. I intend to engage with the families who fed into that process very shortly. Once I have done that…

It is accepted by me, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the whole of the Government that these 280 places are not the end destination. It is, though, where we realistically believe that pulling out all the stops and going at this with gusto and prioritisation is truthfully where we can get to in the lifetime of this strategy. I have even a greater degree of confidence about this after having engaged with the team in the Department of Justice in this regard. We have gone from a scenario where we had counties in Irel…

I thank the Deputy for asking the question. The Government's zero tolerance strategy, published last year, is an ambitious five-year programme of reform aimed at achieving a society which does not accept, in any way, shape or form, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence or, crucially, the attitudes which underpin it. Built on the four pillars of the Istanbul Convention, the strategy was accompanied by an implementation plan which runs to the end of this year, setting out 144 detailed actions assigned to various…

I fully acknowledge the need for urgency and am confident that the Government and both Houses see the need too, for all the reasons the Deputy has outlined. As a Government or as an Oireachtas, we do not establish new agencies very often. I hope the fact that we have taken a decision to establish a new agency assures the women of Ireland and the people of Ireland more broadly that we are taking this issue seriously and applying priority to it. The ambitious timeline of establishing the agency by next January will b…

I thank Deputies Christopher O'Sullivan and Murnane O'Connor. Regarding west Cork, Deputy O'Sullivan is correct that this is an area the Government has identified through its work with Tusla as a priority location for a new refuge. I would be very happy to engage with the organisation doing the work on the ground there. If he wishes to bring a delegation to Leinster House, I would be happy to meet them with my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, to see how we can support them. It is very much a pa…

I very much understand that burglaries can be traumatic and invasive. They can leave people feeling unsafe and uneasy in their home and community. They very much impact people’s sense of security in their home. The Deputy will be aware of Operation Thor, which tackles burglary and actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders through co-ordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends. Since the operation’s inception in 2015, there has been a sus…

We will absolutely support the Garda in resourcing Operation Thor, in recruiting gardaí and getting more gardaí on the streets and rolling out the community safety plans in every county in Ireland in 2024. The numbers show a stark improvement. Every burglary impacts on a person or family. I do not dismiss in any way the significance of that individual trauma and loss of a sense of security. I will give some figures for Cork. For example, in the Cork city Garda division in 2019, the last year before the arrival of C…

I do not want to drown the Dáil in statistics and yearly comparisons. I just make the point that we try to compare the last year before there were Covid restrictions which was 2019 - last normal year - with 2022, the first year without Covid restrictions. During the pandemic years when everyone was at home with lockdown periods and the likes, that obviously had a downward impact on much criminal activity for a variety of reasons. There can always be local and regional-specific reasons from time to time. We can see …

It is a fair question and I somewhat share the Deputy's frustration. I have voiced similar frustration, as have my colleagues. In July 2020, departmental officials contracted an independent expert to undertake the review of Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act. Significant work was completed cataloguing the submissions received under the Part 4 review, which, as the Deputy said, was a requirement. The study lead was also asked to take over another review we discussed a while ago, the familicide review, …

I completely assure the Deputy that the legal obligation to carry out a review of this was taken extraordinarily seriously by my Department. The review was commissioned and an independent expert was appointed. While I share the Deputy's frustration, I have outlined the reasons as to why there was a delay and the additional efforts my Department has made to ensure that the review can be brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible. I am as anxious to receive this review as the Deputy is, and I note her frustration…

I cannot stand over the delay, and I am not seeking to do so. I am seeking to ensure that the report is progressed, finalised and published as a matter of urgency. I have acknowledged my frustration that it has not been forthcoming, and I have outlined the reason why it has been delayed. As Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Connolly will know that in the context of oral parliamentary questions, what I say on the record of the House trumps any prepared material, so my answer is as my answer given.

I have a great deal of material. I was making the point that, and this is in no way to apportion blame to anybody, the study lead for this report, when they were commissioned to do this piece of work, was asked to also carry out the familicide review following the untimely passing of Norah Gibbons. She very kindly agreed to do that and put a great amount of effort into it. I am hoping to be at a point, as I said to the Deputy earlier, of bringing the familicide review forward and acting on its recommendations. That…

I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for his question and for his ongoing work. I only wish I had counterparts in Northern Ireland. I do not say that to be facetious but the Deputy will see during my answer how the absence of an Executive stymies some levels of engagement. However, I am pleased to say there is excellent ongoing cross-Border co-operation with counterparts in Northern Ireland on relevant justice matters. It is important I state that clearly. This includes co-operation between my Department and the Department of Jus…

I will seek confirmation on the two issues the Deputy has raised concerning the recent engagement my colleagues had with their counterparts. I believe in all jurisdictions, including for Irish citizens in Northern Ireland, people having swift access to justice is an important part of any effective justice system. I am personally engaging with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on his responsibility for security matters in Northern Ireland and mine for such matters in Ireland. I saw him last night informall…

The fifth report of the IRC was brought to Government in December. Overall, the IRC has not altered its view that the risks posed to society by the continuing existence of paramilitary groups and structures means paramilitarism remains a clear and present danger in Northern Ireland. Six new recommendations are contained in the fifth report, including a further recommendation on the paramilitary group transition to which the Deputy refers. The commission recommended that the Governments consider appointing an indepe…

I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin for the question. Under the national development plan, the Government is committed to investing significant levels of capital funding into An Garda Síochána to deliver a Garda station modernisation and refurbishment programme, to deliver strategic ICT and digitalisation projects, and to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose Garda fleet. This is a core part of the our plan to build stronger, safer communities. As Deputy Ó Ríordáin is aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissio…

I can and often, when I outline the law as to the responsibilities of the Commissioner versus me, it is not to recuse myself of interest in a project. Deputy Ó Ríordáin, who raises this on a regular basis, knows this is a major commitment in the national development plan. The Northern Cross project is a commitment under the national development plan. The Office of Public Works will have responsibility for project delivery. The site for the location is still subject to discussions between the Garda, the OPW and Dubl…

I respectfully suggest that we should allow the discussions between the Garda, the OPW and Dublin City Council to conclude. This will then enable them to prepare for planning with a view to bringing forward planning in 2024 potentially. This is the window or timeframe that we potentially have. Of course it will be important that local communities are updated and kept engaged and informed on the rationale and benefits of this project. Having the city council as a partner is very advantageous in this regard. Certainl…