John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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570. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the establishment of a new permanent stakeholders forum for licensed firearms holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6175/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department holds meetings with individual firearms organisations on request and engages with various firearms stakeholders in other ways, while An Garda Síochána also meets with stakeholder organisations in respect of relevant matters.

The Firearms Consultative Panel (FCP) was a non-statutory forum comprising various firearms interest groups that last met in 2019. I am informed that a breakdown in relations between some of the major firearms interest groups represented on the panel meant that it was not possible for meetings to take place with all groups represented, in effect putting the FCP into abeyance.

As part of the consultation process around the work of the Firearms Expert Committee, the-then Minister of State and Department officials met with a number of firearms organisations.

One of the issues raised during the course of these engagements was the need for more regular and structured engagement between policymakers and firearms users and, notwithstanding the difficulties that arose in respect of the FCP, this matter is something that will be explored by my officials in the near future.