I am conscious that this will be my last contribution, and I am sure that of others, before we head off for the Easter holidays. The Easter celebrations have a particular resonance in Ireland because we celebrate the parts of our history where we were valiant. We will probably visit commemoration sites and read testimony on walls about a nation that proudly professed that it would cherish all of its children equally. I hope those of us at those commemorations can reflect on the motion before us and think about the …

The Minister's opening statement started off in a way that was almost expected. He acknowledged the outstanding work of An Garda Síochána and phrased it in a way that somehow what everybody else was about to say was somehow challenging An Garda Síochána, as opposed to challenging his Department, his policies and his responsibility. Across this House, all contributors have said that An Garda Síochána does incredible work, but that work is being impacted and made more difficult by the policies, resourcing and the ina…

The Social Democrats will be supporting the extension of the accommodation recognition payment from 27 March. We would like to do so at its current rate. I am conscious that in his contribution, Deputy Carthy spoke about the Opposition needing to reflect on our continued support of this scheme and we do. I reflect constantly. I reflect on the fact that today a court case was taken by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, which demonstrated in a court of law that over 2,500 asylum seekers were forced to de…

I have read the Deputy's amendment but I also listened to his contribution.

Yes, I listened to the Deputy's contribution. The Social Democrats will support the continuation of the payment because, imperfect as it may be, it is better than the alternatives that exist. The Government does not seem to have a plan at all for the ending of the temporary directive. I listened to the Minister of State's opening contribution earlier and he talked with such vagueness about the ending of the temporary directive: something will be planned and something will happen. However, we heard the exact same sp…

Before I discuss the legislation and the legal mechanisms of co-operation between states, it is important to pause and remember exactly what we are about today. This is by no means just another Bill. It is about the 29 people and two unborn children killed in Omagh, the 220 people injured and the families who, nearly three decades later, are still searching for answers. It can be too easy for atrocities to become a moment in history, a date or an event. That should never be allowed to happen. For the families, this…

I welcome the motion put down by Deputy Cullinane and Sinn Féin. I acknowledge the personal testimony shared by Members throughout the debate. It is really appreciated and I know it will matter to a lot of people. Today’s motion is very timely, coming just a week after Daffodil Day when people across the country showed solidarity with those affected by cancer. People across this House showed the same solidarity by wearing daffodils and meeting local cancer survivors and advocates here in Leinster House 2000. I am v…

Will the Minister respond to reports that women prisoners are being held in degrading and overcrowded conditions in the Dóchas Centre? Does the Government accept that continuing to rely on incarceration without sufficient investment in alternatives to custody risks simply warehousing vulnerable women in the prison system? The phrase "warehousing vulnerable women" is not something I have concocted myself. It was used in a report presented to the Minister's Department, which has yet to be released.

I thank the Minister for his response. The figures are fairly stark. Last night, the Dóchas Centre was at 153% of its capacity and 29 women were sleeping on the floor. Can the Minister imagine what that does to a person's capacity for rehabilitation and sense of place in the world? I understand these people have committed crimes and that there are consequences to that but the consequences of placing people in these conditions go well beyond what is appropriate to the crime, impacting their families and their childr…

I would definitely like to hear a lot more about these separate places because we still have not ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, OPCAT, on the prevention of torture. Today, I am here talking about the Dóchas Centre. A couple of weeks ago, I was talking about the women's prison in Limerick. The conditions in the men's prisons are extraordinary. We had the Inspector of Prisons before the committee a couple of months ago and his contribution was jaw-dropping. He spoke about conditions…

I understand the rationale for a measure like this. I understand that the legislation the Minister is working off is from 1993 and its drafters would never have foreseen the world we are in now but we need to move carefully and cautiously with a measure such as this. Some of the technology being referenced here might be developed by companies such as Pegasus, for example. In other jurisdictions, Pegasus spyware has been used as a way of monitoring political opposition and has been used unlawfully against journalist…

I want to ask the Minister the number of Garda members who have retired or resigned from An Garda Síochána in each of the past five years, whether his Department has carried out any analysis of the reasons for those departures, the number of members currently eligible to retire within the next three years and the measures being taken to improve retention within the force.

I thank the Minister for his response. There was one part of the question he did not answer, which was the number of gardaí eligible to retire within the next three years. That is a figure of particular concern to me. When the Minister wrote about this issue in 2024, it was of particular concern to him. At that time, he talked about nearly 50% of the force becoming eligible for retirement by 2028. The figure he had in that article in 2024 was 6,400 gardaí becoming eligible for retirement. That was because in the la…

I would like to hear more about the recruitment and the capacity for expansion, particularly around Templemore. We reach a particular limit when the Garda does recruitment drives. A lot of people put themselves forward but such is the level of time it takes for the training, which is obviously necessary, and for vetting, which we have seen huge problems with, I do not believe we are bringing enough people through to cover the potential retirements that are on the horizon. That figure of 1,700 eligible is different …

Has the Minister any plan at all to deal with the spate of arson attacks and vandalism happening at playgrounds the length and breadth of Dublin? This seems to be an issue that has increased in frequency and scale during his time as Minister for justice. Does he have any plan at all? I refer here to Diamond Park, Bridgefoot Street Park, St. Anne's Park and Sean Moore Park, which is in the Minister's constituency. These attacks are causing hundreds of thousands of euro worth of damage. I do not see the Department ta…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very proud to stand here this evening to introduce the Criminal Justice (Rehabilitative Periods) Bill to the Dáil. This is legislation that has been championed for years, since 2018, by my friend and colleague in the Seanad, Senator Lynn Ruane. I want to acknowledge her work on this Bill from the outset. It is a Bill rooted in lived experience, in real communities and in the simple belief that people can change their lives. I also want to acknowledge the fact …

It is never not a privilege to stand in this Chamber. Ever single day I take a breath and realise how important the work is that happens here, but this evening was a genuine privilege. It was a real honour to be here to discuss an issue that too often went undiscussed. I thank the Ministers of State for their contributions and the Department officials for their engagement. I look forward to bringing it to Committee Stage alongside Senator Ruane. I thank Deputies Heneghan and Ward for their contributions. It was gen…

I listened to the opening contributions from the Government Members today and I thought to myself, my God, does the air feel lighter over on that side of the Chamber? The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, somebody who was vociferous in holding previous Governments to account on failures of local amenities, encouraged us in the Opposition to tell people to use their local post office, even encouraging us to use our local post office, and I thought to myself, I do not need to encourage the people of Phibsb…

The national codes of practice governing events date from 1996 and 1998 and have not been formally updated in almost 30 years. This has left a situation where Dublin city, Cork, Galway, Kerry and Fingal local authorities have all introduced supplementary event guidance that have different criteria, documents needed and procedures. Will the Department push for the national code to be updated to support consistency in how we run live events nationally?

I am.