Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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634. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he has received a submission from an organisation (details supplied); if he has given consideration to their proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7329/25]

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 Expert Committee (FEC), a non-statutory advisory body, was established in 2022 to provide guidance on matters related to firearms licensing in the State. 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. 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.

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. 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.

Any proposed changes to policy or legislation arising for any reason including the recommendations of the FEC will be subject to prior consultation with firearms stakeholders.