Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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279. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will establish a forum for stakeholder engagement on firearms licensing and related matters, similar to the previous firearms consultative panel that was previously in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6812/25]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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280. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he has received correspondence from an organisation (details supplied); if he intends to meet with this organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6813/25]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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281. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he intends to reform the processing procedures for firearms licensing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6814/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 279, 280 and 281 together.

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.

Reform of the firearms licensing system has been under consideration for a number of years and extensive consultation has been undertaken on this issue.

The Firearms Expert Committee, a non-statutory advisory body, was established in 2022 to provide guidance on matters related to firearms licensing in the State. The FEC was tasked with making recommendations on a range of firearms matters, including carrying out an assessment of all types of firearms to determine their current use under the existing licensing system and their suitability for future licensing. Its final reports were published in March 2023 alongside the minutes of each in-person meeting.

Following the delivery of the FEC’s reports, an FEC consultation was launched online in May 2023. This was to ensure that stakeholder organisations, and their members, could engage fully in this consultation process. As part of the consultation process the then-Minister of State and Department officials held meetings with a number of such groups so that they could feed in the views of their members, and this process continues.

It is my intention, with Minister of State Collins, to give early consideration to the FEC's reports and the outcomes of the consultation process and to further engage with relevant stakeholders in relation to any potential changes to policy or legislation in this area.