Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to be with the committee this morning following Second Stage of the Bill in the Dáil, which was taken by the Minister of State, Deputy David Stanton. Members will be aware that this is a short but nevertheless important item of legislation. It is required to enable ratification of the Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women and domestic violence. I acknowledge the work of this committee last year in particular on the matter of the new Act relating to domestic violence and, a short time before that, on the very important Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017. This is the final piece in the suite of legislation necessary to enable ratification of the convention. I am very keen that we would be in a position to ratify this at the earliest possible opportunity. Members will be aware of the timeframe involved. I fully appreciate issues that may be raised in today's debate and I thank the committee for having me.