James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023 was published on 17 July 2023 and passed Committee stage in the Dáil on 14 November 2023. Dáil Report stage is expected to take place in April 2024.

The main objectives of the Bill include

1. To implement recommendations from the O’Malley Review of Protections for Vulnerable Witnesses in the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Offences.
2. To put the new National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for Victims of Human Trafficking on a statutory footing.
3. To clear the final obstacles to ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
4. On foot of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group Report on dignity and equality issues in the Defence Forces, to amend the Defence Act 1954 to ensure that persons subject to military law who commit specified sexual offences in this jurisdiction will be dealt with by An Garda Síochána and the civilian courts rather than by courts-martial.
5. To provide that character evidence introduced at a sentencing hearing for a person convicted of an offence listed in the Schedule of the Sex Offenders Act 2001 must be made on oath or via affidavit.