Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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316. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide an update on the Working Group to Examine the Disregard of Convictions for Certain Qualifying Offences Related to Consensual Sexual Activity between Men; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59960/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, a progress report from the Working Group to Examine the Disregard of Convictions for Certain Qualifying Offences Related to Consensual Sexual Activity between Men was published on Thursday, 5 May by Minister Helen McEntee .

The Victorian-era laws which were repealed by the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 caused immeasurable harm to generations of gay and bisexual men, criminalising and stigmatising them simply because of their sexual orientation.

I am conscious that nearly 30 years later, the damage that was caused by these laws continues to impact negatively on too many people’s lives. While this harm can never be fully undone, I am strongly committed to bringing to Government and publishing a scheme to disregard convictions for qualifying offences prior to decriminalisation in 1993.

Since the publication of the Progress Report in May, work has been ongoing to progress all of the next steps in the report including the development of resources to enable an effective and accessible public consultation. This public consultation was launched on 4 November 2022 by Minister Helen McEntee.

We want to ensure that any potential scheme is as effective and accessible as possible so that we can exonerate those impacted by these outdated laws and address some of the lingering harms of the past.

As part of the consultation, affected persons and representative organisations are being asked to provide input on a number of key issues, based on their lived experience. Their responses will inform the final recommendations of the Working Group who are examining the development of a scheme of disregard convictions for consensual sexual activity between men prior to decriminalisation in 1993.

Following the close of the consultation, the Working Group will prepare a summary report which will give an overview of the submissions received, identifying key themes that will inform the final recommendations of the Working Group.

The deadline for completion of the survey is 5pm on Friday 9 December 2022 and I would encourage any of the affected men, their families, loved ones and the wider LGBTQ+ community to engage with this consultation before the closing date.