Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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179. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department has engaged with national and international human rights organisations in relation to the Special Criminal Court; if so, if she will provide the dates of these engagements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35019/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Special Criminal Court is established pursuant to Part V of the Offences Against the State Act 1939.

The Special Criminal Court was established to respond to the threat to the State and its people from republican terrorism over the decades and it continues to deal with the subversive threat from paramilitary groups and some serious organised crime cases.

The operation of the Court has been the subject of engagement with human rights organisations over the years, including, for example, in the context of Ireland’s Fifth Periodic Report to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 2019.

As the Deputy will be aware, in February last Minister McEntee established an independent group of experts, under the Chair of the Hon. Mr Justice Michael Peart, former Judge of the Court of Appeal, who has been tasked with examining all aspects of the Offences Against the State Acts having regard to, amongst other matters, Ireland’s obligations in relation to Constitutional and ECHR rights and international law. As part of the review, the group are engaged in consultations with relevant stakeholders, including human rights organisations. The members of the Group itself include a number of experts in human rights.