Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Beidh Sinn Féin ag tacú leis an reachtaíocht seo. Tá an reachtaíocht ciallmhar agus luachmhar agus tá tábhacht ag baint leis. Ba mhaith liom tréaslú leis an Seanadóir Colm Burke a thosaigh an obair air seo agus tugaim aitheantas don Aire as a chuid obair ar an reachtaíocht. Mar an gcéanna tugaim aitheantas dár Teachtaí féin, na Teachtaí Jonathan O'Brien agus Pearse Doherty a thug píosa reachtaíochta chun cinn 3 bliana ó shin. Sinn Féin will support this Bill, which is valuable legislation, and we have long been of the view that there was a need for this type of legislation. The Minister acknowledged Senator Colm Burke for bringing forward this legislation but two of my colleagues, Deputies Jonathan O'Brien and Pearse Doherty, have proposed similar legislation. We have long supported a move of this kind.

The Bill is designed to provide arrangements for the management of a missing person's property but also for processes where the circumstances of the person's absence leads to presumption of death. This presumption would apply to persons where the death is virtually certain and where both the circumstances and the length of the disappearance indicate it is highly probable that the missing person has died. For example, it might be where the disappearance occurred in dangerous circumstances or other circumstances where the loss of life might be presumed. The law currently allows for the assumption that a person is alive for up to seven years after he or she goes missing but it is not conclusive. Under the Coroners Act 1962, an inquest can be held where the body of a missing person has not been found. If the inquest concludes that the missing person has died, the death may be registered as it would under normal circumstances. This is a key matter for the families of many missing persons in Ireland today.

Tá sé tábhacht go dtugaimid aitheantas do na clanna, an pian atá á fhulaingt ag cuid maith daoine agus cé chomh deacair is atá sé do na teaglaigh sin go léir. Mar an gcéanna leis na daoine atá ceangailte le duine a cailleadh agus a shíleann go bhfuil an duine sin caillte. Is rud an-dian é sin, go mórmhór nuair a bíonn ualach mór obair le déanamh in éineacht leis an bpian agus na fulaingt tar éis duine a bheith ar iarraidh. Ba chóir dúinn, nuair is féidir linn, an t-ualach a dhéanamh níos lú. While we are debating this legislation, we should reflect on and remember the significant loss suffered by many people throughout this State. There are hundreds of families across the country missing family members or friends. Between 7,000 and 8,000 people are reported missing every year. In 2018 alone, the number of reports of missing persons to An Garda Síochána was 8,215, with 45 of these people remaining missing at the end of the year. Most missing people turn up within a very short time and less than 1% remain missing for a long time. For the families and friends of those 1% who never return home, there is pain and drawn-out grief and uncertainty. All the while these people fear the worst but cannot get closure, so it must amount to unimaginable torture. For those people, the Bill can provide some practical and moral help. It will bring this jurisdiction into line with the North and Scotland, as well as other jurisdictions, in allowing for an application to be made to a register of presumed deaths. A presumed death will only be registered if it meets the strict criteria laid out in the Bill.

This Bill from a hope that when the worst must be presumed, family members of the missing person do not have to suffer more difficulty than necessary. There is a gap in legislation that benefits nobody and compounds the tragedy of missing persons cases for families even further. I note that proposals along these lines were proposed not only by this Bill and previous Bills but also by the Law Reform Commission on the issue of how our legal system deals with missing persons.

Ba mhaith liom aitheantas a thabhairt dó sin agus an tuarascáil a bhí aige i mí Eanáir, 2013 faoin dlí sibhialta, agus gnéithe a bhaineann le daoine atá ar iarraidh, a thugann anailís agus práinn oibre do na fadhbanna atá ann ó thaobh ár reachtaíochta faoi láthair agus déanann sé 19 moladh ar na feabhsuithe a d'fhéadfaí a dhéanamh ar an reachtaíocht agus an tslí a dhéileálann an Stát leis na gnéithe go léir a bhaineann leis na staideanna nuair atá duine ar iarraidh.

In particular, I acknowledge the Law Reform Commission's report dated January 2013 entitled Civil Law Aspects of Missing Persons, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the drawbacks of our current legislative framework and makes 19 recommendations on the improvements that can be made in how the State responds to the many issues that arise from circumstances where a person is missing. The Law Reform Commission's 2013 paper details how one of the greatest challenges to families having to cope with these situations is one of "ambiguous loss" where much of the emotional impact on those left behind can be attributed to the lack of information when a person goes missing.

Is iad seo daoine atá faoi bhrú agus a d'fhéadfaí an-tionchar a bheith aige seo ar a saol. Taobh amuigh den tionchar maidir lena gcuid mothúchán agus a gcuid meabhrach, tá impleachtaí praiticiúla agus airgeadúla do na teaghlaigh ann freisin i dtaca le fáil a bheith acu ar chuntais bhainc, ar mhorgáistí, ar airgead agus ar mhaoin, ar gach rud a bhaineann leis sin. Téann sé sin sách dian orthu, go mór mór nuair atá na ceisteanna fós ann go pointe áirithe ina gcuid ceann.

These are people who are often in a vulnerable situation and these circumstances can have a significant impact hugely on their lives. Beyond the emotional impact, there are immediate practical and financial implications that families have to deal with such as accessing bank accounts, making mortgage repayments, settling affairs in other ways and other issues relating to property. All these matters can make life more complicated. If we can assist and lessen the burden in any way, that is an endeavour worth pursuing. The fact that, under our current arrangements, families can be caught in this limbo for seven years is unacceptable and shows just how much we need to reform the system.

Mar sin, mar a dúirt mé, is dóigh liom go dtéann an Bille seo cuid mhaith sa tslí ba chóir dó a bheith ag dul chun feabhas a chur ar an bhfaillí agus an t-easnamh atá ann ó thaobh na reachtaíochta faoi láthair agus atá tar éis a bheith aitheanta ag an mBille seo agus an Bille cheana ag an gCoimisiún um Athchóiriú Dlí. Ba mhaith liom a rá arís go mbeidh Sinn Féin ag tacú leis an mBille seo agus tá súil agam gur féidir linn cabhrú leis tríd na Tithe chomh luath agus gur féidir linn agus go bhféadfaí an Bille a bheith ina dhlí seo againne ag deireadh na bliana.

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