Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Fine Gael claims there are too many of them and yet it is calling for another one. The bottom line is that from a victim's perspective it does not matter whether a commission is established on a statutory basis, as long as the service is delivered. In putting these structures in place, I am honouring the commitment given in the programme for Government. The strengthening of the administrative structures through these recommendations will provide a general basis for consolidating progress and moving forward to address the concerns identified by the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime such as inconsistent levels of service provision to victims of crime across the country.

The establishment of a new victims office, along with a reconstituted commission and victims' of crime consultative forum will bring renewed energy, drive and direction to the whole area of supporting victims of crime. Along with the Bill that I will bring forward next year, this package of administrative measures is a more sustainable, focussed and flexible way to proceed than through the wide-ranging and unworkable measures contained in the Victims' Rights Bill 2008. The measures I have announced affirm my personal determination to ensure that victims of crime receive a high standard of service from the agencies within the criminal justice system and from the NGOs providing support for victims of crime, funded by the Commission for the support of victims of crime.

I urge the House to reject the Bill. The initiative I have announced, for which I received Government consent last week, indicates that we are going much further than this Bill. If necessary, I can produce a comparison between the two Bills. The Bill before us is the replication of an outdated Bill from New Zealand virtually word for word and line for line just localised for Irish circumstances.

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