Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join others in welcoming the announcement on the Stardust inquiry reopening. I am one of the people old enough to remember that awful tragedy and the appalling day when we heard the news. I was a teenager and it was horrific. I express my utter admiration for the families who have worked so hard for so long and have been so eloquent in their advocacy for the children they lost. It is heartbreaking to listen to them. I am so glad the Attorney General has taken this decision on which I commend him.

I support Senator Boyhan's call for the Minister, Deputy Zappone, to come to the House to discuss the Tuam issue.

This morning I spoke alongside the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, at the launch of a new Women's Aid report, Unheard and Uncounted. This is a very important report on women and domestic abuse, documenting ongoing issues and failures in our criminal justice system, notably the lack of data on cases of domestic violence and how they are dealt with through the system, and the lack of joined-up processes between the criminal courts and the family courts regarding women and children who are victims of domestic abuse.

As pointed out at the launch, we have legislated in recent times to improve processes through the Domestic Violence Act, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act and also the Judicial Council Act which will allow for sentence guidance. However, there are ongoing problems for women trying to achieve justice through the courts. I ask for a debate on domestic violence looking at the recommendations in this important report and seeking to uncover where we can make improvements through legislation and where we can get commitments from the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, and the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, on improvements to processes. I seek that debate as a matter of urgency.

Yesterday during our very stimulating debate on the Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill, Senator Ned O'Sullivan pointed out the need for legislation on hate crime. A number of us have been pressing for that for some time. There is a good deal of research and a review is ongoing. The Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, referred to that review during the debate on the Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill. It would be very useful for this House to debate how we might best seek to legislate against hate crime in future, building on the existing research and the work of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and others.