Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Ward for asking this question. He will recall that about six weeks ago, during the last round of oral questions to the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, his colleague, Deputy Ó Snodaigh, raised a similar question. During the course of an exchange between me and Deputy Ó Snodaigh, I stated that we should look to see if there is some mechanism of expediting this process of bringing forward legislation. Deputy Ward will be aware that a working group produced a report in 2023 which set out a very detailed yet slightly complicated statutory proposal as to how the scheme would operate.

When I was discussing the matter with Deputy Ó Snodaigh on the last occasion, I said I would go back to the Department and see if there was any way it could be expedited. I would like him to know that I asked my officials to examine whether the draft heads for the disregard scheme could be produced in a streamlined form that would facilitate their inclusion in the miscellaneous provisions Bill which is currently with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting. I believe this is achievable and offers a speedier route to enactment than a dedicated disregard Bill. Drafting of legislative heads on these lines is now at an advanced stage and I hope to bring the heads to Government for approval shortly, with a view to their being added to the miscellaneous provisions Bill.

I commend Deputy Ó Snodaigh and the other members of the Opposition who last Tuesday introduced the Disregard of Historic Offences for Consensual Sexual Activity Between Men Bill 2025. I have had an opportunity to look at the Bill. It is a very fine piece of professional drafting. I will certainly take it into consideration and officials in my Department will take it into account when working on the legislative heads I have outlined. My priority is to try to get legislation enacted as quickly as possible. Whether that is done through my miscellaneous provisions Bill, which I think is probably the speedier way of doing it, or through the Opposition Private Members' Bill, I am agnostic in respect of that. The important thing is that we try to put in place a speedy statutory scheme to facilitate these men whom Deputy Ward spoke about.

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