Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 November 2023
387. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice what efforts are made to enable non-English speakers understand the justice system (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51114/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, under the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017, if you are the victim of a crime in Ireland you have the right to interpretation and translation services.
I'm informed that, in circumstances where a need arises, An Garda Síochána engage the services of an interpreter for interviewing victims of crime, providing legal rights and procedures to a detained person, interviewing suspects, identification parades, witness statements and specialist interviews.
Where English is not the first language of a party to a case in Criminal or Family Law hearings, the court may direct that an interpreter be provided.
If the court directs an interpreter be provided in any case, the responsibility to arrange and pay for this rests with the Courts Service.
I can assure the Deputy that supporting victims at each stage in their interaction with the justice system has been, and continues to be, a priority for me and this Government.
The actions we are taking as part of Supporting a Victims Journey, for example, will give victims the confidence to report an offence, knowing they will be supported, informed and treated respectfully and professionally for the entirety of the difficult journey they have to face.
For the last number of years, my Department has been working on a number of initiatives to better support victims of crime so that when victims of crime begin to engage with the judicial system, they know what to expect, what their legally enforceable rights are and the supports available at every step in the process. This, of course, includes initiatives specifically developed to provide this information to those who do not have English as a first language.
These initiatives have included:
• A national 'Know Your Rights' awareness campaign, which started earlier this year, and which focused on some of the most important rights available to victims of crime - including interpretation and translation services. These ads included text translated into a number of including including Polish, Mandarin, French, Lithuanian, Arabic and Portuguese.
• An improved website for the Victims Charter, easily accessible, clearly written and user-friendly. It provides information on rights and supports at whatever stage a victim is at on their personal journey;
• The establishment of a Victims Forum that brings together civic society organisations, including migrant organisations, and State organisations to discuss matters such as best practices and innovation in service delivery to victims of crime and improved co-ordination and consistency of service to victims of crime;
• The creation and distribution of print materials (posters, leaflets, etc.) to public locations including Garda stations, emergency rooms, court houses, public libraries, GP surgeries etc.;
• The translation of this material into a number of languages commonly used in Ireland including, most recently, Russian and Ukrainian; and
• The production of information videos based in specific court buildings to inform victims of what to expect on the day they have to attend court as a witness
