As the Deputy may be aware, under Irish legislation it is not an offence, in and of itself, to beg. However, Irish legislation does contain a number of targeted measures to deal with certain public order offences indirectly connected with some aspects of begging. These are contained in the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2011.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that a search of the PULSE database was conducted for all incidents of ‘Begging’ in the Dublin Region where persons were subsequently arrested, and which resulted in a charge or summons.
I am advised that in 2023, 116 people were arrested for this offence. I am further advised that 28 people were arrested between 1 January 2024 and 16 May 2024.