Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, who is here beside me, I again thank Deputy Carthy for raising this important issue today on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

I also extend my appreciation to all of the other speakers who have contributed to the debate this evening. I reiterate the Government's commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. At its core, zero tolerance ensures that every victim and survivor who comes forward to report an incident is met with protection, respect, and effective support.

Substantial legislative reforms have taken place in recent years, including in respect of assault and harassment offences, as well as the introduction of the new stand-alone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation. In addition, Coco's Law - the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act - criminalises not only the distribution of, but also the threat to distribute, intimate images without consent, which is another heinous way we know abusers control victims. The Sex Offenders (Amendment) Act 2023, which was commenced last year, strengthens our already robust system for monitoring sex offenders. It reduces the notification requirements for sex offenders to three days. The Act also strengthens the management and monitoring of sex offenders in the community. The Minister intends to progress further reforms in this area as a priority.

As Deputies know, in October the Minister secured Cabinet approval for the drafting of the criminal law (sexual offences, domestic violence and international instruments) Bill 2025. This piece of legislation contains a number of key measures in respect of sexual offences, including a publicly accessible domestic violence register of judgments. This will allow for any person who was convicted on indictment of specified offences, including murder, manslaughter or serious assault against an intimate partner or former intimate partner, to be named in a court judgment outlining the sentence imposed. The judgment will be published under a domestic violence register of judgments on the Courts Service website.

I am sure that all Members of the House are agreed on the importance of combating domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and protecting victims. It is for precisely that reason that the Oireachtas has legislated for the range of protective measures I previously outlined, including harassment orders under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, barring, protection and safety orders under the Domestic Violence Act 2018, sex offender orders under the Sex Offenders Act 2001, and civil orders against relevant conduct under the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023. The power of the court to impose conditions on convicted sex offenders by means of post-release supervision orders is also an important tool in this regard.

I am sure Deputy Carthy understands that we do not want to enact legislation that is not necessary, or which rehashes existing provisions on the Statute Book. The Minister is particularly mindful of this, and the resource constraints inherent in progressing legislation, and we must prioritise accordingly. As such, I reiterate that we cannot guarantee support for the Bill on Committee Stage in the absence of clear and convincing arguments on its added value.

See this speech in context