Emer Higgins
Question:128. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Justice the main policy achievements of her Department in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54080/23]
View answerWednesday, 6 December 2023
Questions (128)
Written answers
Through the Justice Plan I am progressing a suite of policy and legislative reforms which are priorities for me as Minister, in line with the commitments set out in the Programme for Government. Some of the priority achievements of my Department are set out below.
Unprecedented investment in support of An Garda Síochána
Budget 2024 provides for funding to support the recruitment of between 800-1000 new members in 2024, with 700-800 due to enter the Garda college this year.
• The roll-out of Garda mobile devices is now complete so that every Garda has real-time access to a series of apps, eliminating paperwork and allowing them to carry out their front-line duties far more efficiently.
• Over 3,400 Garda vehicles – the highest ever and a 31% increase since 2015Major investment in new and refurbished stations.
• Earlier this year a further €10 million for Garda overtime in Dublin. This additional allocation is being spent, to provide consistent high visibility policing in the capital.
• An additional €4.4 million was recently allocated for the purchase of 95 extra Garda cars and vans by the end of this year
Legislation to deal with serious offences
I have introduced a number of new laws to support the prevention and detection of crime in 2023. These include:
• Doubling the maximum sentence for assault causing harm to 10 years;
• Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life;
• Increasing the maximum sentence for assaulting a Garda or emergency worker from 7 to 12 years.
• Measures to improve the post release supervision of sex offenders and provide for electronic tagging
• Making stalking a standalone criminal offence, with a sentence of up to 10 years;
• A new offence of non-fatal strangulation or non-fatal suffocation with a maximum sentence of up to ten years. Non-fatal strangulation is a common feature of domestic abuse, overwhelmingly perpetrated by men against women, and is a strong predictor of the potential for more serious violence.
• Providing for civil orders restraining stalking type behaviour. These orders form an important first step in addressing stalking behaviour and protecting victims as they do not require the level of proof associated with criminal offences; and
• Providing a legal basis for Ireland’s cooperation with the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO)
I developed legislation which has been signed into law to will allow Gardaí roll out bodycams starting in Dublin city centre next year.
Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence
Tackling domestic, sexual and gender based violence has been a top priority for me and my Department has been leading the Zero Tolerance strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender based violence (DSGBV), an ambitious, five-year plan. There is a huge body of work underway and key achievements include:
• Enacted the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Act 2023, which establishes a dedicated State body to support and co-ordinate the implementation of Governmental DSGBV strategies and policies, support and oversee the delivery of refuge places, fund relevant service providers, develop and monitor new standards for funded services, carry out awareness campaigns, and conduct research to support the evaluation and development of further policy in this area.
• Secured an additional €12m in funding in Budget 2024 to combat DSGBV, a record 25% increase.
Anti Social Behaviour
My Department has worked to reduce instances of anti-social behaviour and help people to be safe and feel safe in their local communities. These include:
• setting up an expert forum on anti-social behaviour;
• establishing Local Community Partnerships including in Dublin North Inner City, Waterford and Longford;
• ongoing funding and implementation of the Youth Justice Strategy 2021 -2027
• creating a criminal offence in respect of adults who groom children into criminality;
Prisons and penal reform
• Progressing plans to deliver 400 additional prison spaces to provide for 620 additional prisoners
• Implementing the recommendations contained in the Review of Policy options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024 to ensure appropriate and proportionate use of imprisonment and community sanctions in a manner which best facilitates rehabilitation and reintegration.
• together with Minister Donnelly I published the Health Needs Assessment for the Irish Prison Service in May 2023 - this is the first comprehensive health assessment undertaken for the Irish Prison Service and sets out 60 recommendations for the optimal development of healthcare services in the Prison Service. It is primarily focused on strengthening delivery of IPS Healthcare services across a range of areas and on improving governance in IPS healthcare services.
• Prison Education Taskforce – established in May 2023 and co-Chaired by my Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The aim of the taskforce is to ensure that education and training opportunities are available to prisoners, supporting their rehabilitation and access to employment post-release.
Broader legislative reform
As the Deputy will be aware, number of very important pieces of legislation have been enacted including:
• I commenced the Communications (Retention of Data) (Amendment) Act 2022 which is facilitating necessary access to certain communications data to protect national security and tackle serious crime.
• Amended the Criminal Justice Act 1984 (Treatment of Persons in Custody in Garda Síochána Stations) with the (Amendment) Regulations 2023, to provide for the participation in and attendance of authorised officers of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) at Garda interviews.
• Commenced the Sex Offenders (Amendment) Act 2023 in November, to improve the supervision of sext offenders post release.
• I have on 10th April 2023 replaced the existing Garda compensation scheme with a new statutory scheme that is reducing the waiting times and costs associated with claims for malicious injury to Gardaí or their family members.
• Enacted the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Act 2023 on the mutual recognition of custodial sentences, which provides for the transfer of sentenced persons between EU member states. The Act also amends and updates the existing legislation underpinning transfers for non-EU states, including the United Kingdom.
• I am working to bring the important new Family Courts Bill 2022 through these Houses. This will establish new dedicated Family Courts within the existing court structures and put families at the centre of the family justice system - this Bill completed Second Stage in the Seanad in February.
• Other key initiatives include:
• The International Protection Office has also developed a Modernisation Strategy for 2023/2024. The International Protection Office has further increased its output throughout 2023, while significantly accelerating certain categories of cases, and continually improving the quality of decision making.
• The Irish Citizenship and Nationality Regulations 2023 were signed into law to allow for applications for naturalisation to be made online for the first time in Ireland.
• The reckonable residence requirement for naturalisation for children born in the State was reduced from 5 years to 3 years under the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023, thus allowing children born here to obtain citizenship more quickly
• Ireland opted-into the Regulation establishing a European Union Asylum Agency, and Ireland became a fully-fledged member of the Agency in August 2023.
• Publication of the General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill in March 2023.
• I established the Judicial Planning Working Group, which reported to Government in February 2023. It considered the number and type of judges required to ensure the efficient administration of Justice over the next five years in the first instance, but also with a view to the medium to long term. A substantial increase in judicial numbers over the coming years was recommended, starting early in 2023 with a phased approach. In total, it recommended that 44 additional Judges be appointed in two phases. As of 4 December, 22 of the 24 additional Judges part of the first phase have been appointed and the remaining two have been nominated and are expected to be appointed in the coming days. An Implementation Steering Group has been established in June 2023 to monitor the implementation of the report’s other recommendations.
• A new Planning and Environment Division of the High Court has been established, with a ceremonial first sitting planned for 11 December 2023. This is in line with the commitment contained in the Programme for Government and the Housing for All strategy and its establishment has involved extensive engagement between my Department, the Courts Service and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as well as consultation across other Departments.
• Following the approval of additional judicial resources by Government arising from the recommendations of the Judicial Planning Working Group earlier in 2023, the new High Court Division has now three judges assigned to planning matters and proceedings relate to the wide suite of national and European law that applies in respect of planning and the environment. Urgent cases such as proceedings which concern large-scale projects of strategic importance, or matters of significant environmental impact, are to be given priority.
• The ongoing work of the Civil Legal Aid Review Group, which is reviewing the current operation of the Civil Legal Aid Scheme, including how flexible and responsive the Scheme is to the needs of those it is intended to serve. While the work of the Group is ongoing, it has completed a series of consultation processes to inform its detailed deliberations.
• 2023 has seen the first full year of implementation of the Family Justice Strategy. Notable achievements under the Strategy include the completion of the Policy Review on Parental Alienation and the development of a new family law information hub by the Courts Service