Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I welcome the Bill. I also welcome the Minister to the House. He is nearly as permanent a feature as the House itself at this stage. This Bill is welcome. It makes common sense. It feeds into the narrative of the importance of restorative justice. It is another angle and approach to restorative justice.

In the previous Seanad, I tabled a motion, passed unanimously by those of all parties and none, on the importance of developing restorative justice programmes in this country. Some are under way, particularly in south Dublin and north Tipperary. As a result of the motion, the then justice committee carried out very impressive work on the potential of restorative justice and community courts. It did a separate piece of work on both. I would like to see this reactivated as a discussion point in the Houses of the Oireachtas that would lead to action points. What was sought in my motion was the extension to the rest of the country, at least on a pilot basis, of the restorative justice programme that was working so successfully in south Dublin and north Tipperary.

We would like to see the pilot community court for the city of Dublin elaborated on and developed. There are better ways of operating than what we have been doing heretofore. This Bill is an incremental step in the right direction. I commend the Minister on making time, despite his very busy portfolio, to introduce this Bill to the House.