Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad that there is engagement on this area with civil society organisations. There was a lot of disappointment that so many of the recommendations made by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, were not reflected in the Bill. I hope there will also be engagement with it on the human rights obligations outlined.

The Minister of State may not be able to come back to the post-enactment report, but I hope he will. Post-enactment reports can be blunt and refer to the number of prosecutions full stop. Detailed issues, such as the number of prosecutions in which section 9 was found to be relevant or the outcomes for smuggled persons who have had engagement with the Bill, might be included. I hope that the Minister of State will indicate whether those very important metrics will be reflected in the post-enactment report and that he ensures they are part of it. We should not have a simple headline figure. I see the Minister of State is nodding, and I hope he is indicating that will be the case. It will be important for us to know how this law is panning out.

I understand a document is not the vehicle for addressing smuggling, but smuggling legislation is a key intervention within this landscape. That is why it is important that we try to get it right. I will press a couple of these amendments because they are good. I will follow up directly with the Minister of State on the post-enactment report.