Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

Is this paltry allocation supposed to keep quiet those who have requested this type of legislation over many years, those who feel it is not good enough to sail on with the occasional announcement of one of these "ground breaking initiatives"? This old style politics of throwing a few bob to people to keep them quiet and Government by press conference and perception is running down politics in this country and is placing the people we are supposed to represent at the bottom. Tonight's debate is a prime example of what is so wrong with the Government.

Last week the Minister made disparaging reference to Deputy Shatter's initiative as legislation by Google and a copy of the New Zealand system. There is no groundbreaking here, rather it is like groundhog day with the same old predictable stuff from a Minister who is so out of touch. It is quite interesting to note that in his own Department with its recent comprehensive review on youth justice, that the jurisdictions of Northern Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, Scotland and Denmark were examined in order to develop an Irish strategy from "a wide range of published material". Are we about to experience the most dynamic incumbent ever in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the man who will singlehandedly write all legislation? I suspect not.

I would prefer to have a piece of draft legislation before me in this Oireachtas that was properly researched using elements of international best practice than wait for ten years for one commission after another to come up with findings. The Minister with all his resources including executive officers in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime, the victims of crime consultative forum, the balance in the criminal law review group, the DPP and the Office of the Attorney General has merely indicated that it is his intention to have legislation published in the spring of 2009. This is the same Minister who only two months ago managed to turn much of his Government's acute hospital policy for the north east on its head by saying there was not a red cent in the coffers. This is truly inspiring stuff.

I congratulate Deputies Shatter and Charles Flanagan on their work on this Bill. For far too long the victims of crime have not had the support of both the law and the institutions of the State on their side. This Bill as proposed goes a long way towards redressing that balance and deals with all impacts that the committing of a crime has on the individual. The specific elements of the proposed legislation have been outlined during this debate. These are distinct measures that for the first time enshrine the rights of victims of crime in Irish law. Having the legislation on the Statute Book is one important conclusion in this process. Sending out the clear message in adopting this legislation that a victim of crime, as a citizen, can expect to be treated properly by the State, is of equal importance and will go some way towards altering the imbalances we now experience in our criminal justice system. I strongly support the Bill.

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