Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also appeal to the Minister of State to take this amendment on board. I acknowledge the work that the Victims Rights Alliance has done on this. It has been engaging with parliamentarians in both Houses on these important and serious matters. We are talking about victims of crime, which is a very serious issue. Most of the work that has been done on these amendments has come from advocacy groups, from people who have had personal experience and people who have been involved in groups. Any of the amendments that have been put before the Minister of State today have not being done lightly. They have been given a great deal of thought. That point is worth saying.

It is worth recapping this amendment. It is proposed that where a victim of an alleged offence has been assessed under section 14 and the Garda Síochána or the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, as the case may be, has identified specific protection needs relating to the victim, which are special measures within the meaning of this section, the prosecutor shall inform the court of the outcome of the assessment and, importantly, at the beginning of the trial of the offence at the latest. That is very important. That was not simply made up. It is something about which a number of people communicated with our office and with other Senators. This is an important amendment. All the proposed amendments are important. The Minister of State should give this amendment serious consideration.