Written answers
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
An Garda Síochána
Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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1203. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of reports made to An Garda Síochána in 2024 regarding breaches of protection orders, safety orders, and barring orders (including interim orders); the number of subsequent arrests made following these reports; the number of convictions secured on foot of these reports; and the breakdown of the victim-offender relationship in cases involving reported breaches of such orders, in tabular form. [12542/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a priority for this Government, for the Department and for the Garda Commissioner. 'Zero Tolerance,' the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV), sets out an ambitious five-year programme of reform to achieve a society which does not accept DSGBV or the attitudes which underpin these crimes.
The Strategy, which was co-designed with the sector, also has a significant focus on improving the system for victims of these terrible crimes and on ensuring there is a full range of supports and services available nationwide to support and empower victims and survivors. Creating a criminal justice system that supports and protects victims at every stage of their journey through it, is and will remain a priority.
The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, and all Garda operations, including the recording of charges.
In relation to the recording of convictions, management of the courts, including operational matters and logistical functions, are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and the Constitution. The Courts Service has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas: oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie.
To be of assistance, I have contacted both agencies on the Deputy's behalf in relation to the data sought.
In relation to breaches of domestic violence orders, An Garda Síochána have provided the following information:
Incident Type | Incidents | Arrests |
---|---|---|
Breach of Barring Order | 766 | 328 |
Breach of Interim Barring Order | 183 | 88 |
Breach of Protection Order | 2,242 | 1,131 |
Breach of Safety Order | 2,176 | 1,044 |
Total | 5,367 | 2,591 |
An Garda Síochána have advised that examining victim/offender relationships requires a more complex analysis and will be provided in the upcoming updated DSGBV report.
I am further informed by the Court Service that they can only provide details of convictions that have been before the court, irrespective of when the report was made to An Garda Síochána. For example, the offence may have occurred in 2023 and was listed in court in 2023 but not convicted until 2024. The Courts Service have provided statistics on the number of convictions in cases that have been before the Courts for 2024.
- | No of Offences where convictions were recorded | No of Persons convicted |
---|---|---|
January - December 2024 | 912 | 639 |
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