Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 April 2024
849. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice if her Department or a body under the aegis of her Department has data available on the number of people charged or convicted under the provisions of section 38 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 (details supplied) from 2019 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14067/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, and all Garda operations, including the recording of charges.
In relation to the recording of convictions, the Deputy will also be aware that management of the courts, including operational matters and logistical functions, are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution.
The Courts Service has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas: oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie
To be of assistance, I have contacted both agencies on the Deputy's behalf.
A search of the PULSE database was conducted on 26 March 2024 to identify any valid charges or summons created to date which referenced section 38 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018, however none were identified.
Separately the Court Service has no prosecutions recorded for offences that have been coded under section 38 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.
By way of further clarification, the Court Service can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors.
Prosecutors may have used un-coded free text offences, for which it is not possible to provide statistics.
