Three items of promised legislation will be fundamental in the fight against organised crime. The criminal records information systems Bill will facilitate the exchange of information between European Union member states and states outside the EU with a view to combating crime; the inspection of places of detention Bill will bring into focus the recommendations of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, OPCAT; and the courts (consolidation and reform) Bill will also have an impact on the fight against crime. Have the heads of these Bills been discussed and when are they likely to be before the House?

The first Bill will be published in the middle of next year. A draft of the courts (consolidation and reform) Bill was included in the Law Reform Commission's report. That will form the basis of the Bill. At this stage it is not possible to give a date for its publication. The intention is to publish the inspection of places of detention Bill next year.