Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

164. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to extend expungement provisions in the Children Act 2001 to offences committed up to 21 years of age. [12681/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In general terms, Section 258 of the Children Act 2001 (as amended) provides a limited ‘‘clean slate’’ in respect of most offences committed by children. The application of this section is subject to a number of conditions including that the person was under the age of 18 when the offence was committed. There are no proposals currently under consideration to extend those provisions of the Children Act 2001 to offences committed up to 21 years of age.

The Deputy will be aware that the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016 commenced in April. That Act provides that a range of minor offences committed by a person, who has attained the age of 18 years at the date of the commission of the offence which is the subject of the conviction concerned, will become spent after seven years.