Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2023
506. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if her Department requested members of the Firearms Expert Committee to fill out a declaration of interests; if any conflicts of interest were identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34033/23]
View answerThe Firearms Expert Committee (FEC) was made up of five members: an independent Chairperson, a representative of An Garda Síochána, a representative of the Department of Justice, and two non-governmental Ordinary Members having experience of firearms. This structure was chosen to give balanced representation to both governmental and non-governmental stakeholders. The FEC was a non-statutory body and its recommendations were advisory only.
On 31 March 2022, I sought expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates for appointment to the Committee. This call was published on the Department of Justice’s website and shared with various stakeholder organisations.
Although the FEC was not a state board, applicants were made aware of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, which provides a framework for the application of best practice. All members of the Committee were required to act on a fully informed basis, in good faith, with due diligence and care, and in the best interests of the Committee, subject to the objectives set by the Minister.
In order to qualify for appointment, applicants were also required to not have any legal impediment or conflicts of interest likely to interfere with their ability to assume the role of a member of the FEC. In this regard, applicants were requested to identify any potential conflict of interest that might exist in their cover letter and no such conflicts were identified in respect of those appointed to the FEC. However, as was specifically set out in the public expressions of interest document, existing professional or businesses interests involving firearms were not considered as disqualifying conflicts of interest, as individuals with experience and knowledge of the application of firearms legislation of the type associated with such roles was a desirable quality for the role of Ordinary Member.
