Neale Richmond
Question:454. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide an update on the actions contained in the Hamilton Review Group Report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12987/22]
View answerTuesday, 8 March 2022
Questions (454)
Written answers
The Deputy will be aware that an all-of-government implementation plan to progress the recommendations in the Review of Structures and Strategies to Prevent, Investigate and Penalise Economic Crime and Corruption was published in April 2021. The plan sets out 22 actions that focus primarily on legislative, structural and resourcing measures to enhance agency and multi-agency enforcement and prevention capacity in the criminal justice sphere, and will fall to be implemented by a number of Government Departments and State Agencies.
I can inform the Deputy that the Criminal Procedure Bill has been enacted, allowing for pre-trial hearings to take place, including in complex economic crime cases, which should significantly simplify the conduct of such cases. In addition, the Judicial Council has been engaged with in relation to the development of judicial training in respect of complex economic crime/corruption cases. Furthermore, a Forum of senior representatives from the relevant operational bodies was established in June 2021.
There has been significant progress to implement the recommendations, including to provide greater powers for investigating agencies to tackle economic crime and corruption; the establishment of an Advisory Council against Economic Crime and Corruption; reform of the Ethics Acts; and additional resourcing for enforcement agencies. Additionally, the General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2021 represents progress across a number of legislative recommendations.
I wish to reiterate to the Deputy that I am strongly committed to tackling all forms of corruption and white-collar crime and the implementation of these recommendations aligns with the Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commitments in relation to white-collar crime.