I agree with the Deputy. Words like "multidisciplinary" and "multidepartmental" are often used very flippantly but education has a piece, as do criminal justice and the HSE. We, as legislators, have a piece. Supporting our local community is a part of the puzzle. We all must play our part in it. On what we can do from a community point of view, I have been to many of the projects in Ballyfermot like skate parks. The Deputy will be aware of the community safety fund, an annual grant fund that supports short- to medi…

I thank Senators who have contributed to the debate. I will address amendment No. 1, which I understand has not been moved. It provides interpretation in respect of the terms "crimes against humanity", "genocide" and "war crime" to be inserted into section 3 of the interpretation section of the principal Act, linking these terms to the definition in the statute of the International Criminal Court, which I take to refer to the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court. Amendments Nos. 2 to 6, inclusive, and 8…

I understand and appreciate the point the Senator has made and where these concerns come from. I note and reiterate that the current terrorism framework legislation before the House is not the correct law to address matters that have been raised today. Violations under international law, as outlined, by the armed forces of a state are already crimes in our domestic law. As was stated, the International Criminal Court Act 2006 sets out that in Ireland crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide are criminal off…

I thank the Senators who put this amendment before the House and made contributions today. I understand the genuine questions raised by Senator Higgins. Some were rhetorical and some were genuine, but I understand the point being made. This amendment seeks to delete the phrase "public provocation to commit a terrorist offence" from the definition of terrorist-linked activity in section 2 of the Bill. The effect of this amendment would be to remove public provocation as an offence under the Bill. Noting the concerns…

Apologies for my voice. Please bear with me. I thank the Senators for their amendments and contributions. Unfortunately, I cannot accept Senator O'Reilly's amendment No. 9. The directive, under Article 5, requires that the public provocation offence encompass direct and indirect incitement. An example of indirect incitement might be how to build a bomb or other publications. The amendments set down today seek to introduce various changes to section 3 of the Bill or to delete the proposed restructuring of this offen…

The two motions before the House seek the approval of Seanad Éireann to continue in force provisions in the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 aimed at combating terrorism and organised crime. Given the nature of these important provisions, the Houses of the Oireachtas has decided that they should be periodically reviewed. The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration, is required to lay reports before the Oireachtas on the use of the relevant provi…

I thank all Senators who contributed today. I am grateful for their contributions, particularly those who spoke in favour, and there was also important discourse from those who did not. Every Senator in this House knows the appalling damage caused by organised crime, as outlined by Senator Andrews and others, particularly the damage caused by the drugs trade to individual families and communities. As a public representative, and now as Minister of State at the Department of justice, I have seen first hand the impac…

The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and I thank everyone for their consideration of the Bill. I welcome to the Seanad Chamber Jason Poole whom I had the honour of meeting today. On Second Stage the background to the Bill - its genesis in the brutal and senseless murder of an innocent young woman - was outlined by all. Senators of all parties and none praised the Poole family for their tireless campaign on behalf of their beloved Jennifer. I take this opportunity to reiterate that those with serious criminal convictio…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for that. I listened with interest from my office to the comments on this Bill, and I thank all Members who contributed to the debate. It is very encouraging to see the level of support across the House and the goodwill towards the legislation, albeit with some comments from Members of the House. It is undeniable that the landscape of terror threats in Europe has shifted in recent years, yet terrorism and violent extremism continue to pose a persistent and multifaceted threat. These …

I move: That Dáil Éireann resolves that sections 2 to 4, 6 to 12, 14 and 17 of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 (No. 39 of 1998) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on 30th June, 2026 and ending on 29th June, 2027. The two motions before the House seek the approval of Dáil Éireann to continue in force provisions in the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 aimed at combating terrorism and organised crime. Given the nature of…

I am very grateful to the House for its consideration of these motions. I thank Deputies for their contributions, particularly those in support but also those who do not support the motion because their discourse is very important. Many issues have been raised. I know I have only eight minutes. For the benefit of the House and for those watching, the independent review group carried out a comprehensive review of the law in this area and the majority and minority reports of the group were published in June 2023. The…

I know Deputy Carthy raised the issue of Sallins. The establishment of a public inquiry is something we can only proceed with in accordance with the legislation governing inquiries. The most important requirement is that the matter be of urgent public importance requiring investigation. In light of developments since 1976, the Minister is satisfied that it is not warranted.

I move: That Dáil Éireann resolves that section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 (No. 32 of 2009) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on 30th June, 2026 and ending on 29th June, 2027.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that in relation to Climate Action: — last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its latest Ireland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections 2025-2030, which show that we are moving in the right direction and improving our performance compared with the previous year; — for the first time, the EPA now projects that we are close to meeting our first carbon budget, following a consistent trend of imp…

I thank all the Senators who contributed to the debate. I particularly thank Senator Alice-Mary Higgins and the Civil Engagement Group. I have known the Senator for a long time. She has been at the forefront of discussions and legislation relating to peace and disarmament in this House as well as non-proliferation. Many Senators raised the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. All the legislation cited relates to internat…

I thank the Deputy very much for his amendment. I understand his concerns in relation to fundamental rights and countries not adhering to the rule of law as we might in Ireland. However, I regret that we cannot accept his proposed amendment. The e-evidence package provides for co-operation between member states of the EU. It does not allow any member state to unilaterally suspend its operation, and the proposed amendment would be in clear breach of our legal obligations under EU law. On a point of principle, giving…

As we all know, we are members of the European Union and the Members opposite know well that we cannot include this provision. It is in breach of the treaties and our obligations as a member of the European Union. We all know that we have legal obligations in relation to this regulation and we simply cannot ignore that. If we were to enact the amendment, service providers would still remain obligated to execute orders. That would be without oversight from directors. For the reasons I have stated, I simply cannot ac…

I thank the Deputy for his amendment. He sought information on the e-portal. Connection to the decentralised IT system for SMEs will be via a web portal and access will be provided to their nominated addressee. If the data being returned is less than 25 Mb it will be sent via the system, but if it is greater it will be sent via another secure means and the cost associated with this will be minimal. Unfortunately, I cannot accept amendments Nos. 2 and 3. The language of amendment No. 2 is quite vague and it would be…

The Department is not unsympathetic to SMEs, which are the backbone of our economy. That is very much acknowledged. The web portal that will be used will have a minimal cost. The vast majority of orders in these cases will be directed to a small number of large service providers. However, where a small to medium-sized service provider is subject to an e-evidence order and holds electronic evidence related to the investigation of serious crime, it will have obligations under this regulation. That will be the cost of…

I thank Deputy Carthy for his amendments Nos. 4 and 5. I thank Deputy Ward for his comments on my appointment. Regretfully, I cannot accept the amendments. The definition of "public authority" in section 17(4) is intended to cover those Irish public authorities that have a law enforcement role and that may need to seek a European production order in the context of a criminal investigation into serious crime. The director in the role of central authority responsible for administration and transmission of such orders…