1. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the preparations that have been made for the ending of the temporary protection directive in March 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35912/26]
Sentiment score: 0.18
The Government has been verging on the negligent in failing to plan in an orderly way for the winding down of the temporary protection directive. Since it announced that all measures relating to the directive will come to an end next year, there has been confusion heaped upon confusion. Will the Minister outline the preparations that have been made for the ending of the temporary protection directive?
Sentiment score: -0.35
I recall that the House was virtually unanimous in support of the emergency measures that were brought in at the outset of Russia's war against Ukraine. The temporary protection directive was an emergency measure, as the Minister quite rightly said. I do not think anybody envisaged that it would be in place for five years. As the Minister knows, I have been arguing very strongly that we need a roadmap, not only for policy areas and to be able to plan in an appropriate way in the interests of this State but also to provide certainty for beneficiaries of temporary protection. I have argued that the outline of such a roadmap should have been made clear long before now. The approach of the Government has been shambolic and chaotic. Even at this point, there is no clarity about what will happen to Ukrainians in Ireland or what the impact on public policy here will be come the end of temporary protection. Whatever about the accommodation, which I will come to in a minute, can the Minister outline what the ending of the temporary protection directive is going to mean? People deserve to know.
Sentiment score: -0.06
I find some of those responses incredibly interesting. When Sinn Féin suggested that ending the temporary protection directive should include provision for a voluntary return scheme, members of the Government absolutely pilloried both my party and me personally for even suggesting that. It now appears that this is going to be part of the Minister's plan. Likewise, when it comes to the ARP and the various accommodation schemes, when Sinn Féin raised the impact that these were having on the private rental sector, for example, we were lambasted, not only by Government but also by other members of the Opposition. It is now virtually taken as read that the ARP in particular has had an impact on the rental accommodation sector. What engagements is the Minister having with the Department of housing and State agencies in respect of ending the accommodation supports and ensuring that we do not end up with unforeseen or unplanned for impacts on a housing system that is already dysfunctional and under huge pressure?
Sentiment score: 0.28
You have not announced them; you have leaked them.
Sentiment score: -0.32
3. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will review the operation of section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017, which relates to information connected to investigations and criminal proceedings, to ensure that the rights of victims under this section are applied in a consistent manner and that the provisions it contains meet the needs of victims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35913/26]
Sentiment score: -0.08
Section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act includes provisions for information to be shared with victims of crime. It is ten years since the legislation was enacted. Does the Minister have plans to review the operation of this section to ensure that the provisions it contains are being applied on a consistent basis?
Sentiment score: -0.05
To be clear, there is no requirement whatsoever to wait for an EU legislative process to conclude before we change measures in domestic law, particularly in terms of enhancing support for the victims of crime. The justice committee met in recent days to discuss the victims of crime civil protection orders Bill that I am trying to progress through the House. We heard moving testimony from Sonya Stokes, who the Minister is aware of. Sonya was the victim of horrendous crimes committed by a man who had previously committed several other horrendous crimes. Following his release, Sonya highlighted how traumatised she was and how fearful she was that some form of retribution would be sought. She found out on 30 April that her attacker had deceased in a nursing home on 5 December 2025. She was not informed of the fact. This is one anomaly that we could look at changing. It would only take a technical amendment to the legislation. Would the Minister be open to that?
Sentiment score: -0.24
I might not have been clear. I specifically asked about victims being informed that their attackers have deceased subsequent to release. In relation to section 8, the difficulty is that many of the testimonies we hear are inconsistent. Many victims have told me that they are incredibly happy with their engagement with the Garda or the Prison Service. Others are unhappy because they do not believe section 8 has been applied to the standard they would have expected in terms of their being informed of developments. I was told in one case by somebody who lost their partner, who was unlawfully killed, that the person responsible was to be released. They got a simple one-line email from the Prison Service informing them of the fact. We can imagine how disruptive it is if the person who killed the father of your children is going to be released and all you get is a cold email. The onus should not be on victims to pursue these things, and we all agree on that. The review of section 8 is crucial.
Sentiment score: -0.29
5. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he intends to extend the provisions of section 14 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024, requiring that character references be given on oat to other criminal offences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35914/26]
Sentiment score: -0.25
Does the Minister intend to extend the provisions of section 14 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act that requires character references to be given under oath, to criminal offences other than those included in the original legislation?
Sentiment score: -0.82
In many respects the Minister has made the first half of the argument. My point is whether you move to the second logical part of the argument and expand the provisions of this section to include other serious crimes. I am thinking particularly of homicide. It has been seen in the courts that the distinction between somebody just writing a letter saying a particular man or woman is a sound person or whatever and knowing that is something that needs to be done on affidavit or potentially in the witness box is an important one. It sets out the importance of a character reference in any case but especially for serious crimes. Is there any examination in the Department of expanding the section even further?
Sentiment score: -0.00
Clearly when I talk about homicide I am not talking about murder but I have spoken to some victims who were in court for the sentencing of perpetrators who were convicted of actions resulting in the killing of their loved one and the introduction to the sentencing stage of unverified testimony not given under oath or by way of an affidavit really traumatised the family even further. This is often the case where somebody has pleaded guilty to an action that has resulted in the death of somebody else, so there is no trial as such. In many ways, the victims' families feel that perhaps the full truth has not come out about the actions of the person who is responsible and then ultimately, prior to sentencing, a number of testimonies are provided about how great a person this was. In that type of scenario I think the Minister is saying he recognises that type of testimony should be given on affidavit or in the witness box. Will he legislate to ensure that is the case?
Sentiment score: -0.13