James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 to 241, inclusive, together.

I can advise the Deputy 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 developed by my Department based on the announcement on a proposed Firearms Assessment and Appeals Authority by the Minister in September 2015 and which were publically available, the FEC was tasked with making recommendations on a range of firearms matters for my subsequent consideration.

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. Appointment to the FEC was conducted in line with the process advised in the expressions of interest document published on Gov.ie and shared with various stakeholder organisations. 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.

On 31 March, 2022, expressions of interest were sought from suitably qualified candidates for appointment to the Firearms Expert Committee. This call was published on the Department of Justice’s 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 acts as the Secretariat to the Committee.

In total 14 applications were received for the position of Chairperson and 34 for the positions of Ordinary Member. Appointment to the Committee was conducted in line with the process advised in the expressions of interest document, which did not foresee a formal interview process. Given the number of well-qualified applicants, and in line with the process advised in the expressions of interest document, 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 and scoring them accordingly. After careful consideration, the candidates for appointment were selected from these shortlists.

Following that process, 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 Brian Murphy in advance of the first meeting. Mr. John Guinane, the Firearms Range Inspector, was appointed to represent the Department of Justice.

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 meeting concerning the finalisation of the reports. These meetings occurred 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 publically available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/8fa98-firearms-expert-committee.

The FEC heard from a number of expert witnesses during the course of its meetings including: 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 final meeting of the FEC took place on 3 March 2023 and having received the final reports I published them on 31 March 2023 on Gov.ie.

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. To that end, on 3 May 2023 I launched the FEC consultation online on Gov.ie which concluded on 2 June 2023.

In addition, I also sought written submissions on the recommendations of the FEC from a range of stakeholder organisations and intend to meet with these groups, having received their written submissions and now that the wider public consultation has concluded. This will ensure that stakeholder organisations, and their members, have been afforded the opportunity to fully engage in this consultation process.