David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to present this Bill here today on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality. There is no need for me to convince members of the importance of this Bill and the very real difference the enhancements of the rights of victims contained in this Bill would make to the experience of victims in the criminal justice process.

Deputies were already aware of this as was evident from the contributions that there was support from all parties in the House when it was introduced.

We are proposing 29 amendments on Committee Stage, many of which aim to clarify and simplify the Bill's text or correct drafting errors. Several more substantive amendments address the issues raised by victims' rights groups and other interested bodies. Many of these address issues also addressed by Opposition amendments.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality intends to bring forward several amendments but we are not in a position to do so today. Several amendments will be required to section 26, addressing amendments to the Criminal Evidence Act 1992. These are mainly technical amendments required to take account of changes made to the Act by the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017. The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality also intends to introduce amendments on restorative justice on Report Stage. I will discuss this in more detail when we discuss other amendments on that issue.

I fully appreciate Deputies want to make this Bill as beneficial and effective as possible. For my part, I am open to take on board their issues and concerns and work with them to improve the Bill. I am looking forward to this engagement. We are all more or less on the same page from the amendments I have seen.