Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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454. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the main policy achievements of her Department since 1 January 2023. [41473/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, my Department published its Statement of Strategy 2024-2026 on 4 July 2024, which builds upon the significant progress achieved over the past four years. I am proud of these achievements which include such a broad range of policy and legislative reforms. I am dedicated to working towards our shared vision of a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland.

This strategy will be delivered through our annual Justice Plans. Justice Plan 2024 builds on the work described in previous annual Justice Plans and outlines a wide range of actions under the Department's five strategic goals, which are:

• Maintaining a safe and secure Ireland
• Improving access to justice for all
• Delivering a fair immigration system
• Strengthening our influence in Europe
• Investing in people to deliver excellence

• Ongoing Garda recruitment
• €6 million for new ballistic vests to protect frontline Gardaí
• An extra €21million for ICT capital in 2023
• €10 million investment in the Garda fleet to upgrade 270 cars

• Ongoing Garda recruitment
• €6m provided for Garda wellbeing initiatives, additional medical costs and over 2,500 units of body armour
• €3.6 million in additional funding for GoSafe speed cameras, continuing the increased level of 9,000 hours per month throughout 2024
• A new national centre of excellence in Dublin for the Garda Dog Unit

• Ongoing Garda recruitment
• A 13% increase in the overtime budget
• An increase in the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week, almost doubling from €184 in 2023
• €9 million in additional funding for up to 100 new speed cameras to enhance road safety measures
• €100 million of funding for ICT to equip Gardaí with the necessary tools to enhance crime prevention and detection, including Body-Worn cameras and the development of a digital evidence management system

• All frontline Gardaí are equipped with mobile devices which allow for policing tasks to be completed in real time
• Over 3,400 Garda vehicles – the largest fleet of vehicles in the organisation’s history and a 31% increase since 2015
• Increased welfare and mental health supports for Gardaí
• Major investment in new and refurbished Garda stations
• The rollout of a proof-of-concept project for Body Worn Cameras (BWC) in Dublin City, Limerick and Waterford, ahead of a national rollout of BWCs.
• And a new, more practical, operational uniform.

• Increased the age of entry into the Gardaífrom 35 to 50 years of age.
• Increased the allowance for trainee Gardaí which is currently €354
• Increased the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 62

• In excess of €7.9m in additional funding for combatting DSGBV was secured for my Department in Budget 2024. This represents a significant increase and will support the implementation of the Zero Tolerance plan - including through the new agency, which has an overall budget of €59m for 2024. This funding will also assist the agency in meeting the acute needs for services throughout the country.
• The establishment of Cuan, the new statutory DSGBV Agency, which is key to delivering on the ambition of the strategy, including in relation to prevention, education, awareness raising and training for all who come into contact with vulnerable victims (including the legal professions) and ensuring the right supports are there to protect and support victims of these hideous crimes.
• I enacted the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act which contains measures targeting violent and organised crime, violence against Gardaí and also has a particular focus on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence:
  • increasing the maximum penalty for assault causing harm – one of the most commonly prosecuted violent offences – from 5 years to 10 years
  • introducing a new standalone offence of non-fatal strangulation, which can be a precursor to murder in domestic abuse situations. These changes will give judges a wider range of sentencing options to consider when addressing the more serious of assault causing harm and domestic abuse cases
  • introducing a standalone offence of stalking and strengthening the law around harassment. While any person can be a victim of stalking or harassment, they are again common behaviours in domestic abuse situations. It introduces a new stalking offence defined in terms of causing either a fear of violence, or serious alarm and distress that has a substantial impact on a person’s day-to-day activities
  • the Act also provides for the making of civil orders restraining stalking conduct. These orders form an important first step in addressing stalking behaviour as they do not require the level of proof associated with the criminal offences.
  • it also ensures the protection of the identity of alleged victims of harassment and stalking in court proceedings. The background to this provision is that offences like harassment and stalking already impinge on a person’s privacy and personal life. Preventing public identification of victims online or in the media (unless they choose to waive their right to anonymity) is to prevent putting victims at further risk of invasion of their privacy, re-traumatisation or causing them further harm
  • the Act extends the restriction on alleged perpetrators carrying out their own cross-examinations of victims to a wider range of offences than at present (sexual offences), including those including violence, coercive control, stalking and harassment
• The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024 was signed into law in July, which strengthens the law on sexual offences and improves protections for victims of sexual offences and of human trafficking.
• The Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2024 was signed by the President on the 4th of October 2024. The purpose of this Act is to dis-apply the mandatory life sentence for murder for those who commit the murder when they were a child but turned 18 before sentencing. An ‘aged out’ child who is convicted of murder can still receive a life sentence, however, it will no longer be mandatory. The judge will have discretion as to whether or not to impose a life sentence.

• The Sex Offenders (Amendment) Act 2023 was enacted and commenced in 2023 and provides for stronger supervision of sex offenders post release.
• A statutory review of Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 that deals with the purchase of sexual services. It is my intention to bring this work to a conclusion as soon as possible.
• As an action under the Justice Plan 2024, I receive regular updates in relation to progress on this review and I am aware that the Research Team has analysed the data and documentation submitted on foot of the consultation process undertaken by the previously appointed external reviewer.
• The Sexual Violence Survey 2022 was published by the CSO in April 2023 providing high quality national prevalence data on sexual violence.
• We have committed to undertaking a prevalence survey on domestic violence, the development of which is underway.
• Implemented awareness campaigns on intimate image abuse, victims of crime and consent have been rolled out. Many of the actions in the Strategy are focused enhanced support for victims. The provision of legal aid and legal advice, trauma-informed training, and national awareness campaigns are all provided for.

• Setting up an expert forum on anti-social behaviour;
• Increasing penalties for certain knife crime offences and strengthening the use of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs)
• I have allocated €9.5m in funding for nationwide Community Safety Partnerships and the establishment of a National Office for Community Safety and the Community Safety Fund.
• Continued extensive expansion of youth justice and youth diversion measures
• New laws to criminalise the grooming of children into criminal behaviour.
• Ongoing work to introduce Facial Recognition Technology to help investigate and prosecute cases of serious crime
• Providing the funding necessary to strengthen the equipment available to An Garda Síochána for public order policing, including the deployment of tasers and stronger incapacitant spray, two new water cannons, crowd control barriers, expansion of the dog unit and more body armour for frontline Gardaí
• Proposing solutions to public order and anti-social “wicked problems” through the Local Leadership Programme which brings together local stakeholders in a structured manner.

• Approximately €34m additional funding was allocated in budget 2024 to the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) to continue to scale up processing.
• We have doubled the number of staff in the International Protection Office and trebled the number of decisions. This increase in processing capacity is aimed at ensuring that those in need of protection receive that status without undue delay, while those that do not qualify are advised of this in good time.
• Introduced a new accelerated decision process for applicants from recognised ‘safe countries of origin’ in November 2022. Since its introduction, most applicants from safe countries of origin have received a first instance decision in less than 3 months, which is a significant reduction from a norm of 17 to 24 months in previous years. All applications are examined fully and individually on their merits, including those from countries which are designated as safe countries of origin.
• Since the introduction of accelerated processing in November 2022, there has been a drop of up to 70% in applications from the designated safe countries. Two additional countries were added to the safe country list earlier this year (Algeria and Botswana) and a further five countries were added to this list in early July (Brazil, India, Egypt, Morocco and Malawi).
• Extended accelerated processing to whatever country, or countries, have the highest number of applicants. This is reviewed on a quarterly basis. On commencement of this programme of acceleration in April 2024, the country with the highest number of applications in the previous quarter (Q1) was Nigeria, which has seen a 54.60% drop in application since the commencement. On review of the matter at end of Q2, in addition to retaining Nigeria on the list, the country with the second highest number of applications was Jordan, and it was added to this category of accelerated processing on 29 July. Analysis of the impact on application numbers for this cohort is at an early stage.
• The IPO has completed the first phase of process modernisation in order that all applications for international protection can be completed digitally by applicants themselves. Roll-out of remaining phases is on-going.
• Digitalisation project nearly completed in IPO with over 18,100 active files digitalised to ensure all processes can be undertaken without recourse to paper. Opened a second processing centre at City West to provide enhanced facilities for the process of IP Applications for families
• Increased number of interviews held in 2024 by 85% in comparison to same period for 2023 (to 30th September).
• In 2024 there has been a 57% increase in the total number of determinations processed from 6,345 to 9,957 (to 30th September)
• Delivery of the Regularisation Scheme for Long-Term Undocumented Migrants.
• The development of an in-house Voluntary Return Unit which has, with the assistance of the UN International Organisation for Migration, achieved the highest number of voluntary returns in ten years (606 to date) and a 306% increase of such returns in 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023 (606 in 2024 and 149 up to 6 October 2023). The highest number in 10 years prior to 2024 was 261 in 2019.
• The resumption of a normal deportation regime post the pandemic which has seen a 161% in deportations in 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023 (86 in 2024 and 33 up to 6 October 2023)
• The total number of returns (voluntary, enforced, EU and Dublin III combined) is the highest in 10 years currently standing at 730 for the year to date.
• The final transfer of responsibility for online renewal of Irish immigration residence permissions, for persons residing in all counties nationwide, from the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to the Registration Office of Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) of the Department of Justice will come into effect on 4 November 2024. Applications nationwide can be submitted using the ISD online renewal portal and applicants will not need to attend the Burgh Quay Registration Office in person.
• Following a review of the Carrier liability provisions, the Minister for Justice increased penalties for carriers who are found to not have conducted appropriate checks on the documentation of people boarding with effect from 12 August 2024. The Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 increases fines on carriers to a maximum of €5,000 from the previous €3,000.
• The Citizenship Division of my Department has taken a significant number of steps to speed up the Naturalisation process for applicants including introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting.
• In just over two years the Citizenship Division of my Department has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023 and has already made more than 24,000 decisions to date in 2024. Last year, Citizenship Division more than doubled the number of ceremonies available to applicants with 15 held over the course of 2023. This was a significant increase on 6 Citizenship Ceremonies held in 2022. To date in 2024, my Department has hosted 17 ceremonies with over 14,000 attendees, with further ceremonies planned for later in the year. These changes have significantly reduced processing times for applicants.
• My Department has also established an Immigration Modernisation Programme to transform its immigration operations and provide a modern, transparent and accessible immigration system that is faster, easier to access, and more efficient for all users.
• The focus for 2024 is to digitise a number of currently paper-based immigration processes and introduce a portal system where individuals will be able to manage and view all aspects of their interaction with immigration services. This will improve efficiencies in the immigration system, improve the customer experience through the availability of comprehensive self service functions and improve data management and utilisation.
• There has been a 40% increase in the number of EUTR review decisions issued in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
• Since January 2024, 80% of all non-complex first instance EUTR decisions have been issued within 5 months of application.
• There has been a 120% increase in the number of FRU decisions issued in the first 9 months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. More family members of international protection status holders have been granted a family reunification permission than any year previously.

• Recruitment of 150 Prison Officers in addition to the 240 Prison Officers recruited in 2024
• An additional €6 million to fund 130,000 additional staff hours in our Prisons.
• €53m in Capital Funding which will provide for the completion of 155 new prison spaces by the end of 2024 as part of a programme of works.
• The Probation Service will receive an additional €4 million bringing the total budget to over €60m to expand crime diversion programmes, support step down facilities, restorative justice, and community-based alternatives to imprisonment.

• The final report and recommendations of the High Level Task Force to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of those who come into contact with the criminal justice sector were published by myself and the Minister for Health in September 2022. The first annual progress report on the implementation of its recommendations, which shows concerted work across the Department of Justice and the Department of Health, as well as with multiple agencies, was published earlier this year.
• Implementing the recommendations contained in the Review of Policy options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024 to ensure appropriate and proportionate use of imprisonment and community sanctions in a manner which best facilitates rehabilitation and reintegration.
• Together with Minister Donnelly I published the Health Needs Assessment for the Irish Prison Service in May 2023 - this is the first comprehensive health assessment undertaken for the Irish Prison Service and sets out 60 recommendations for the optimal development of healthcare services in the Prison Service. It is primarily focused on strengthening delivery of IPS Healthcare services across a range of areas and on improving governance in IPS healthcare services.
• Prison Education Taskforce – established in May 2023 and co-Chaired by my Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The aim of the taskforce is to ensure that education and training opportunities are available to prisoners, supporting their rehabilitation and access to employment post-release.
• Following commitments made in both the Programme for Government and the Justice Plan 2023, the Department of Justice’s policy paper on Restorative Justice, ‘Promoting and supporting the provision of Restorative Justice at all stages of the criminal justice system’, was published in August 2023. The Probation Service will soon launch their Restorative Justice Action Plan, the aim of which is to integrate Restorative Justice into existing services and to expand the provision of Restorative Justice nationally.
• Implementation of the Working to Change: Social Enterprise and Employment Strategy 2021-2023 and the development of a follow on criminal justice employment strategy to address systemic barriers to employment faced by those with previous criminal convictions and to support reintegration and desistance from offending.

• Enacted the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 to rebalance the duty of care and increase personal responsibility for trips and falls, in order to lower insurance premiums.
• Enacted a new law on Garda operating model to provide more front-line Gardaí, increased visibility, and a wider range of policing services for people in their local area.
• Enacted new regulations to provide for legal aid to the families of the 48 victims and new legislation for a revised jury selection process for the Dublin Coroner, in relation to the inquests into the Stardust fire tragedy. The Stardust Fire Inquests concluded on 18 April at the Dublin District Coroner’s Court (sitting at the Pillar Room). The jury returned a majority verdict of “unlawful killing” for each of the 48 deaths.
• Last October, I launched a wide-ranging public consultation exercise to inform the development of proposals for comprehensive reform of the Coroner Service in Ireland, which closed in January. My officials are currently finalising analysis of the information gathered during the consultation process with a view to publishing a report on the main themes coming through from the Consultation in the coming weeks and putting forward proposals for the reform of the service thereafter.
• Enacted and commenced the Communications (Retention of Data) (Amendment) Act 2022 which will facilitate necessary access to certain communications data to protect national security and tackle serious crime.
• Amended the Criminal Justice Act 1984 (Treatment of Persons in Custody in Garda Síochána Stations) with the (Amendment) Regulations 2023, to provide for the participation in and attendance of authorised officers of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) at Garda interviews.
• Enacted the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Act 2023 on the mutual recognition of custodial sentences, which provides for the transfer of sentenced persons between EU member states. The Act also amends and updates the existing legislation underpinning transfers for non-EU states, including the United Kingdom.
• Enacted the Recording Devices Act to provide for body worn cameras to protect Garda members, Automatic Number Plate Recognition to detect crime and greater use of CCTV. Part of this Act has now been commenced including the parts dealing with body worn cameras and updates for CCTV in Garda Síochána premises.
• Published the General Scheme of the Recording Devices (Amendment) Bill which will provide for the retrospective searching of images which are legally in the possession of An Garda Síochána through biometric identification (which includes facial recognition technology).
• Signed orders under the Criminal Evidence Act 1992 to extend the coverage of provisions for evidence given by video link so that it is admissible nationwide and to ensure that video recorded evidence given by children is admissible in any court throughout the State.
• Enacted the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act 2024, which makes it an offence for an adult to involve a child in any type of crime.
• Enacted the Court Proceedings (Delays) Act on 1 May 2024, which provides for the establishment of an independent assessment process to assess claims for breach of the right to the conclusion of proceedings within a reasonable time and where appropriate, an award of compensation. Implementation is expected in 2025.
• Enacted and commenced the European Arrest Warrant (Amendment) Act which provides important updates to the crucial European Arrest Warrant system to ensure the continued efficient return of criminals to and from the State.
• Enacted the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 on 7 February 2024 which will, when commenced later this year, repeal and replace the Garda Síochána Act 2005. The four main objectives of the Act are to make community safety an all of government responsibility; to strengthen independent external oversight of An Garda Síochána; to strengthen internal governance of An Garda Síochána; and to improve the oversight of National Security.
• Published the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Protection, Preservation and Access to Data on Information Systems) Bill 2024, which will allow law enforcement authorities like An Garda Síochána to request the preservation and production of data being held on IT systems controlled by internet service providers in order to investigate and tackle crime.
• Published the General Scheme of the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2024 which will strengthen the State’s ability to target the proceeds of crime. This will be achieved through refinements to the proceeds of crime regime informed by legal and operational developments.
• Published the General Scheme of the Life Sentences Bill 2024 which will provide for judges to recommend minimum periods in prison when a life sentence is imposed.

• I established the Judicial Planning Working Group in 2021 to consider the number and type of judges required to ensure the efficient administration of Justice over the next five years in the first instance, but also with a view to the medium to long term. The Report of the Judicial Planning Working Group was published in 2023 and recommended a substantial increase in judicial numbers, with 44 additional judges to be appointed in two phases. A first tranche of 24 additional judges, were appointed in 2023, with a further 20 planned following an assessment of impact of the first tranche of judges.
• A new Planning and Environment Division of the High Court has been established. This is in line with the commitment contained in the Programme for Government and the Housing for All strategy and its establishment has involved extensive engagement between my Department, the Courts Service and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as well as consultation across other Departments.
• Following the approval of additional judicial resources by Government arising from the recommendations of the Judicial Planning Working Group, the new High Court Division has now three judges assigned to planning matters and proceedings relate to the wide suite of national and European law that applies in respect of planning and the environment. Urgent cases such as proceedings which concern large-scale projects of strategic importance, or matters of significant environmental impact, are to be given priority.
• The Irish Citizenship and Nationality Regulations 2023 were signed into law to allow for applications for naturalisation to be made online for the first time in Ireland.
• The reckonable residence requirement for naturalisation for children born in the State was reduced from 5 years to 3 years under the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023, thus allowing children born here to obtain citizenship more quickly.
• Ireland opted-into the Regulation establishing a European Union Asylum Agency, and Ireland became a fully-fledged member of the Agency in August 2023.
• The continued progression of the Gambling Regulation Bill through the Houses. The Bill is currently scheduled for Committee Stage in the Seanad and is expected to be enacted this year. The legislation provides for a robust regulatory and licensing regime to regulate gambling both in person and online, to streamline the licensing framework and to provide for the establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.
• The ongoing work of the Civil Legal Aid Review Group, which is reviewing the current operation of the Civil Legal Aid Scheme, including how flexible and responsive the Scheme is to the needs of those it is intended to serve. While the work of the Group is ongoing, it has completed a series of consultation processes to inform its detailed deliberations.
• 2023 saw the first full year of the implementation of the Family Justice Strategy. Notable achievements under the Strategy to date include the completion of the Policy Review on Parental Alienation, the publication of the Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders, the commissioning of research into the operation of the in-camera rule in family law proceedings, the development of a new family law information hub and 360 degree tour by the Courts Service, and the establishment of a panel of private mediators to enhance the rollout of family mediation services across the country by the Legal Aid Board.
• The Family Courts Bill 2022 recently completed Committee Stage in the Seanad and is progressing to Report Stage. The legislation will provide for the establishment of a new dedicated Family Court as divisions of each jurisdiction within the existing court structures and provide for court procedures that support a less-adversarial resolution of disputes.
• On 25th July, I received Government approval to publish the Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024. The General Scheme, which provides for significant reforms of our defamation law, takes into account recommendations of the report of a major review of the Defamation Act 2009, carried out by the Department of Justice, which was published in March 2022. This is an important Bill that balances and safeguards the rights to freedom of expression with the protection of a person's good name and reputation, and to access to justice. This legislation touches on the protection of our democracy itself and introduces measures designed to protect responsible public interest journalism. The key purpose of the bill is to deter the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation – known as SLAPPs which are recognised, both here and internationally, as a significant challenge to press freedom, and a danger to democracy itself, given the chilling effect they have on the work of investigative journalists and others. The Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024, was published on 2 August 2024 and completed Second Stage in the Dail on 19 September.
• The Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2023 was signed into law on 8 December 2023. The First Commencement Order, Statutory Instrument No. 114 of 2024, was signed on 20 March 2024. A second Commencement Order and the establishment day order are due to be signed shortly to allow for the establishment of the Judicial Appointments Commission.