Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 400 and 401 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, last year, my Department committed to undertake a public consultation on the issue of parental alienation as part of the Justice Plan 2022. The consultation was an opportunity for individuals and organisations to offer their views and experiences of parental alienation, its impact and how it could be responded to in the future. The consultation was an open one and concluded on 24 June 2022.

The Department of Justice also arranged for independent research on parental alienation to be carried out. A final report was received by the Department and is now being reviewed.

It is intended that both the research report and results of the consultation will create a deeper understanding of the concept of parental alienation and subsequently inform the Department’s consideration of policy and law in this area.

Work is ongoing to integrate the results of the public consultation and commissioned research to finalise a report for the Minister outlining any resulting recommendations to inform policy in this area.

Once finalised, it is intended to publish both the research report and the policy paper on the Department’s website. I expect this to occur in the coming weeks.