Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome these technical amendments. More than 11 years ago, I published Private Members' legislation in this House to close off a number of anomalies in the monitoring of sex offenders following their release from prison. Here we are 11 years later. That legislation is being enacted and I hope it goes to Áras an Uachtaráin and is signed by the President, that each of the provisions in this are applied and implemented as quickly as possible by the Department of Justice, and that there is no time lag from the enactment of this legislation and its application because of the issues involved. I thank the Minister and his officials in particular for their engagement on this legislation, previous legislation and parliamentary questions about it down through the years.

I wish to put on record my personal thanks and the thanks of the people of this country to retired sergeant John Hynes, who did a significant amount of work in securing convictions, particularly in the west.

He was probably one of the foremost members of An Garda Síochána in terms of securing prosecutions in this State for what were very complex and challenging offences which took place across the west. In fact, 26 of the 28 cases he brought before the Central Criminal Court secured convictions. In 27 of those 28 cases, the late Detective Garda Colm Horkan was involved. We think of Detective Garda Horkan and his family today and remember the effort and commitment he gave to the local community in west Roscommon and across the west in securing these very important convictions down through the years. I also acknowledge Garda Maeve Carthy who is still in the force who was also involved in securing those prosecutions.

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