Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Senator's interest and contribution. The Minister for Justice wants to be clear; Ireland must update its incitement to hatred legislation. If this requires further discussion and debate to reach consensus on how we do this effectively, she is prepared to examine the issues with a view to finding a way forward. While that is happening, we cannot ignore the fact that we need hate crime laws. Ireland is one of the last countries in the EU to legislate for hate crimes. The most recent figures from An Garda Síochána confirm the need for legislation. All-Ireland research by the University of Limerick and Queen's University published in December last year found that more than two thirds of those surveyed were in favour of hate crime legislation. The Minister will bring the Bill back to the Seanad in due course. She will work with her colleagues across both Houses to legislate for hate crimes and to bring much-needed protection to vulnerable communities, as the Senator clearly outlined. That said, the Minister is on the record saying our current incitement of hatred legislation is not strong enough and this is a matter that will need to be revisited. There are quite entrenched views in this area. She is not naive enough to think that there will full consensus but some consensus is required. There is work to be done before we can progress these elements.