Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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953. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will set out his rationale for not expanding the membership of the firearms expert committee to include a broader ordinary membership to act as representatives for the end user's perspective; and if he will provide an update on his work on the regulatory structure around firearms in Ireland and modernisation of same. [16577/23]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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995. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if there are any plans to meet with regional game councils as part of the public consultation process following the firearms committee report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17568/23]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1070. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will address a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16529/23]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 953, 974, 995 and 1070 together.

I can advise the Deputies that I established the Firearms Expert Committee (FEC) on a non-statutory basis with representation from stakeholders, my Department and An Garda Síochána. The purpose of the FEC was to serve in an advisory capacity to me as Minister, providing guidance on a wide range of matters related to firearms licensing in the State. In line with its comprehensive terms of reference, which were made publicly available, the FEC was tasked with making recommendations on a range of firearms matters for my subsequent consideration, including carrying out an assessment of all types of firearms to determine their current use under the existing licensing system and their suitability for future licensing.

The FEC was made up of five members: an independent Chairperson, a representative of An Garda Síochána, a representative of the Department of Justice, and two non-governmental Ordinary Members having experience of firearms. This structure was chosen to give balanced representation to both governmental and non-governmental stakeholders.

On 31 March, 2022 expressions of interest were sought from suitably qualified candidates for appointment to the FEC. The call was published on the Department of Justice website and shared with various stakeholder organisations. The call for expressions of interest was administered by officials from the Criminal Justice Policy function of the Department of Justice which also acted as the Secretariat to the Committee. Appointment to the Committee was conducted in line with the process advised in the expressions of interest document which was published. As was advised therein, the Ordinary Members of the FEC were appointed on a personal basis only and not as formal representatives of a particular body or group. I would point out, however, that both of the Ordinary Members appointed are Registered Firearms Dealers and are, or have been, members of national firearms organisations.

In total, 14 applications were received for the position of Chairperson and 34 for the positions of Ordinary Member. Given the number of well-qualified applicants, I requested that shortlists of candidates be prepared for final consideration. These shortlists were prepared by assessing applications against the suitability indicators listed in the expression of interest document. After careful consideration, I then selected the candidates for appointment from these shortlists.

Following the selection process for appointment to the Committee, Ms. Emma Meagher Neville was selected for the position of Chairperson. Ms. Meagher Neville qualified as a solicitor in 1998 and is currently the Vice President of the Southern Law Association (SLA) and a Council member of the Law Society of Ireland. Mr. Paul Walsh and Mr. Fabian Connolly, both Registered Firearms Dealers with extensive experience in different types of shooting, were selected for the positions of Ordinary Member. An Garda Síochána was represented on the Committee by Superintendent Emma Doyle (or her alternative, Inspector Paul Greene), who replaced the initial nominee Superintendent Brain Murphy in advance of the first meeting. Mr. John Guinane, the Firearms Range Inspector, was appointed to represent the Department.

The FEC held nine in-person Committee meetings, in addition to one videoconference with representatives of the PSNI firearms licensing branch and one final videoconference Committee meeting concerning the finalisation of the reports, over a period of nine months. Summaries and minutes of the in-person Committee meetings, detailing the items of discussion, have been published on Gov.ie and are publicly available (see: www.gov.ie/en/publication/8fa98-firearms-expert-committee).

The FEC heard from a number of expert witnesses during the course of its meetings: officials from the National Parks and Wildlife Service; two experienced licensing officers from An Garda Síochána; officials from the PSNI firearms licensing branch; and officials from the Northern Ireland Office. The FEC further considered a number of submissions that were made to the committee.

The Deputies may wish to know that the final meeting of the FEC took place on 3 March 2023 and that I received the final reports from the FEC which I published on Friday, 31 March 2023 on Gov.ie. I can confirm to the Deputies that nobody on the committee resigned for the duration of its work, however I understand that following the submission of the final reports, one member indicated to the Chair that he was withdrawing his support for them.

As I have emphasised throughout the process, any proposed changes to policy or legislation arising from any of the recommendations of the FEC will be subject to prior consultation with firearms stakeholders. Details of the consultation process are being finalised and will be publicised shortly. When this happens I will ensure that the methods of engagement are communicated to all interested organisations so that they, and their members, can engage fully in the consultations.

As can be seen from its publicly-available reports, the FEC does not recommend that firearms certificates be conditioned to specify the locations where, or purposes for which, firearms may be used.

I can also advise the Deputies that firearms legislation more broadly is kept under ongoing review and there are no immediate plans to amend the regulatory structure in this area.