Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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511. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of judges that have participated in special training in interacting with victims of sexual crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29271/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The importance of education, training and awareness raising is a central element of delivering on our zero tolerance ambition and something that is reflected in the third national strategy on DSGBV.

While the provision of training for Judges is a matter for the Judiciary, the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2023 now requires the Judicial Appointments Commission to consider what training or continuous professional development all candidates for judicial office have undertaken in making recommendations to Government regarding their appointment to judicial office.

The Judicial Council is independent in its functions, and its Judicial Studies Committee is responsible for the delivery of judicial training.

I understand that it has developed a training course for serving criminal trial judges which ensures that they develop a deeper awareness of the victim's experience in court in sexual offence cases. This training was developed in 2021 as a priority in the committee’s first year and was also a timely response to the O’Malley Review of Protections for Vulnerable Witnesses in the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Offences. The programme focuses on developing judges’ understanding of victims’ experiences in sexual offence cases and explores ways in which the trauma, which inevitably re-emerges for victims during a trial, can be reduced.

The development of the course included consultation with the Rape Crisis Network, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and One in Four. The course is offered twice a year, to serving criminal court judges in every jurisdiction.

The number of judges who have attended is not published by the committee.