Vol. 530 No. 1
87 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when the review of the effectiveness of the law on the prohibition of incitement to racial hatred will be completed; when he will be in a position to bring proposals regarding amendments to Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3200/01]
As I indicated in reply to parliamentary questions from Deputy Stagg on 5 October 2000 – Question No. 30 – and Deputy Spring on 15 November 2000 – Question No. 156 – the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, 1989, has been the subject of review from time to time. The most recent review, in 1998, was carried out in the context of an EU review of member states' compliance with an EU joint action concerning action to combat racism and xenophobia. This joint action is now the subject of further review by the EU. To date, no changes in the law have resulted from these reviews.
Nevertheless, I recently announced a further review of the legislation in my Department. While I cannot at this stage predict a time scale, I hope to conclude the review as soon as possible.
