Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I do not accept amendment No. 54 because the number and nature of something is inherent to statistics and statistical information. I do not want to duplicate what is already encompassed within the term in this Bill. It is the case that the number and nature of offences will be taken on board and captured. On amendment No. 55, the general terms used in this provision are appropriate to make sure all necessary statistics can be collected. The commissioner is not prevented from collecting further statistics including those referred to in the amendment. On stop and search, the general scheme of the An Garda Síochána Bill, which has been published, includes a new requirement to make a written record of stop and search. This will facilitate the collection of data necessary to assess the effectiveness and use of the relevant powers by Garda management and oversight bodies. It also provides for associated codes of practice to prescribe the procedures relating to the disclosure, retention and destruction of records. That has been published. Work is still under way but I hope to bring it forward later this year. While we are not discussing the other amendment, I will highlight that the criminal justice sectoral strategy 2022 to 2024 contains an action to explore options to provide for the recording and monitoring of ethnicity across the criminal justice system. Work is also being done by the Policing Authority engaging with An Garda Síochána on the collection of ethnic identifiers. There is also the policing Bill, which specifically looks at the collection of data concerning search powers. Separate to this, work is under way specifically looking at what the Senator spoke about. Once that research is done on how to best include that type of information, we will be able to move on it. There is nothing in this section that prevents the Garda Commissioner from collecting other types of statistics, such as those the Senator referred to.