Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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690. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will report on the progress of the national legislation required so that Ireland can ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34702/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is working on a number of pieces of legislation which I believe will assist in Ireland being fully compliant with the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention.

The legislation under development includes the Government commitment to introduce consolidated and reformed domestic violence legislation to address all aspects of domestic violence, threatened violence and intimidation, in a way that provides protection to victims. This legislation will strengthen the protections already available and more fully enable requirements of the Convention to be addressed. Substantial progress has been made in my Department in formulating legislative proposals in this regard and I expect to bring proposals to Government later this year. I regard this work towards ratification of the Convention as a priority.

There are a number of elements of the Victims Directive that will support compliance with the Convention. Work on legislation to transpose the Victims Directive is ongoing with a view to having such legislation on the statute book by the transposition deadline of November, 2015.

In addition, a Sexual Offences Bill is receiving priority attention in my Department and this too will strengthen protection for victims of such offences.

Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, an office of my Department, is continuing to seek the detailed views of the responsible offices to fully identify required amendments to processes and law, which might be necessary for Ireland to ratify the convention.