Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1129. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the public consultations his Department plans to conduct; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11424/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is fully committed to engaging with the public and our stakeholders as part of the development of new strategies, public policy and proposed changes to legislation. This includes the use of public consultations to engage directly with communities and members of the public to listen and better understand their views and perspectives.

Meaningful participation increases the legitimacy of decision-making, improves the public’s knowledge and awareness of complex policy challenges, helps decision-makers to make better decisions and can lead to improvements in the quality of service provision.

Information in relation to consultations currently planned by my Department is set out below. This list is subject to change as further policies are advanced:

• As part of the development of my Department’s next Statement of Strategy, there will be a wide ranging consultation involving internal and external stakeholders and also the public. The Strategy will be informed by the Programme for Government, key Government priorities, policy frameworks EU commitments and other significant issues, and will set out the high-level goals for the period. This consultation is planned in the coming months.
• The Child Maintenance Guidelines Committee, which is chaired by my Department, intends to shortly undertake a public consultation process to inform its work. The Committee was put in place to develop a set of child maintenance guidelines, one of the key recommendations that emerged from the Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders published in January 2024.
• The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 provides for the delivery of a National Strategy for Improving Community Safety, containing a policy framework and a programme of actions. The purpose of the strategy is to support public service bodies and communities working together in a coordinated manner to improve community safety. In accordance with this legislation my Department will consult with the Policing and Community Safety Authority and other groups representing community interests prior to the preparation or revision of this Strategy. Members of the public and any interested parties will also be invited to make submissions in relation to the National Strategy. The scope and timing of these consultations will be determined following the commencement of the Policing and Community Safety Act 2024.