Hate crime legislation
Deputy Calleary asks whether the Criminal Justice (Aggravation by Prejudice) Bill can proceed, citing recent attacks on LGBT people and calls for hate crime law. The Tánaiste says the Government has no intention of slowing the Private Members’ Bill and agrees violence based on identity or sexuality has no place in society.
Amidst the fantastic celebrations of Pride last week, two events involving very aggravated assaults in Port Laoise and a brick being thrown through the window of Pantibar showed the daily challenge members of our LGBT community face in terms of hatred legislation. Deputy O'Loughlin's Criminal Justice (Aggravation by Prejudice) Bill 2016 has gone through various committees and pre-legislative scrutiny. Yesterday, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties published its report calling for hate crime legislation to be introduced. Will this Bill be allowed to proceed in the Dáil to deal with and provide for the kind of situations that are happening daily?
Comment on this
I am not aware that the Government has any intention of trying to slow down this Bill. It is a Private Members' Bill so it needs to go through the processes.
Comment on this
I am not aware of any intention on the part of the Government to slow that down. We agree with the sentiments the Deputy has just outlined. There is no place in society and there should not have been in the past for the kind of violent discrimination on the basis of identity or sexuality. I am glad to say that we are a changed country in that regard so we need to make sure legislation is both appropriate and firm and the Garda has the resources it needs to stamp it out.