Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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1042. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will clarify the current restrictions which apply to the holder of firearms; if it is intended to amend these regulations; the timeframe when same will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12284/23]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will know, Irish law has strict controls governing the issuing of firearm certificates by An Garda Síochána and stringent conditions on the holding of firearms. Since the commencement of the Firearms Act 1925, any person in possession of a firearm must be in possession of a firearms certificate for that firearm.

Every application for a firearm certificate is considered on its individual merits and an application cannot be granted unless certain conditions, set out in section 4 of the Firearms Act 1925 , are met. These include, amongst others, that the person can be permitted to possess a firearm without danger to public safety and that the person has a good reason for requiring the firearm.

New conditions applying to the grant of a firearm certificate were introduced under the Criminal Justice Act 2006. These conditions include the requirement of applicants to provide two referees to attest to their character, and also a requirement on each applicant to provide written consent for an issuing officer to make any enquiries in relation to the applicant’s medical history from a health professional.

It should also be noted that section 5 of the Firearms Act 1925provides a number of reasons for revoking a firearm certificate. These include circumstances in which the holder has no good reason to have the firearm, poses a danger to public safety or security, is using the firearm for an unauthorised purpose or has not complied with conditions attached to the granting of the certificate. Each decision to grant or revoke a firearm certificate is individually considered.

Firearms legislation is kept under ongoing review and there are no immediate plans to amend these provisions.

I can advise the Deputy, that I established a Firearms Expert Committee with representation from stakeholders, my Department and An Garda Síochána. This Committee’s work is ongoing and its terms of reference include examination of the conditions under which firearms certificates are issued. As the Committee has not yet submitted its reports, it would not be appropriate to pre-empt any of its recommendations. In any case, the role of the Committee is to make recommendations to me for subsequent consideration. Any policy decisions arising from any of the recommendations would of course be subject to prior consultation with stakeholders.