536. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50806/26]

I am proud of the considerable progress by my Department on a broad range of policy, operational and legislative initiatives since my appointment as Minister in January 2025. I look forward to continuing this work on my priorities, in line with the commitments set out in the Programme for Government.

Delivering on the commitments laid out in the Programme for Government is a priority for me as Minister, my Department and my colleagues, Ministers of State Colm Brophy and Catherine Ardagh. Working with them, I want to ensure that our justice system is modern, efficient, and responsive to the needs of all of our people. I want a justice system that serves the fundamental need of all people to feel safe and secure in their homes and in their communities.

I was pleased to publish the new Statement of Strategy for my Department for 2025–2028 in November last year. The Strategy aligns with the Programme for Government, sets out my Department’s strategic direction to 2028 and will further the work towards our shared vision of a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland.

I have previously answered Parliamentary Questions on the achievements of my Department since the formation of the Government, most recently Question. 461 of 28 May 2026. Some of the key achievements of my Department since 28 May 2026 are set out below.

Garda Recruitment and Operations

My first priority as Minister for Justice is to get more Gardaí out onto our streets preventing the commission of crime through high visibility patrols. Increased recruitment and appropriate civilianisation where possible are vital to achieving this as is modern technology and equipment and active management of Garda resources. The Programme for Government commits to recruiting at least 5,000 Gardaí over the lifetime of the Government, and we are very close to surpassing the previous record high of 14,600 Gardaí from March 2020.

Recruitment into An Garda Síochána has gathered real momentum. In 2025, 794 new recruits were welcomed into the Garda College in Templemore. This is the highest number recruited since 2018. Over 200 trainee Gardai entered Templemore in May, bringing the total number of current trainees to over 600. An Garda Síochána also recently held their latest recruitment drive which closed on 3 June, with over 4,000 applications received. This competition will help to ensure that we maintain the steady pipeline of new recruits.

I also introduced the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill and the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill, which will provide additional powers to An Garda Síochána in relation to search warrants and use of facial recognition technology in certain circumstances. The Powers Bill successfully completed all stages in the Seanad on 17 June. The (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill completed its passage through the Dáil on the 13 May 2026 and completed its passage through the Seanad on the 23 June 2026. It will now return to the Dáil for one further date in order for that House to consider a small number of amendments made in the Seanad.

The project to rollout Body Worn Cameras to all Gardaí has progressed to procurement stage. Significant progress has been made on major developments of new garda stations in Portlaoise, Macroom, Clonmel, Bailieborough and Newcastle West.

Domestic, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence Strategy

Combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) has been a central priority for me since taking office.

In June 2025, I published the final implementation plan of the five-year ‘Zero Tolerance’ National DSGBV Strategy setting out the delivery targets and collective action to end 2026. The plan contains 95 specific actions across the four pillars of the Istanbul Convention.

Amongst the key deliverables are actions already underway in respect of significant legislative reform including:

• Prioritising the drafting of the Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill that will, in certain situations, allow for the removal of guardianship rights from individuals convicted of killing the other parent or guardian of their child; The Bill completed all stages in the Dáil on 17 June 2026 and in the Seanad on 30 June. It is anticipated that the Bill will complete its passage through the Oireachtas on the 15 July.

• The Miscellaneous Provisions Bill completed all Seanad stages on 2 July. This Bill will limit the disclosure of counselling records in rape and sexual assault cases.

• Banning sex for rent under the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025; These provisions are included in the aforementioned Miscellaneous Provisions Bill which completed all Seanad stages on 02 July.

• Introducing the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences, Domestic Violence, and International Instruments) Bill 2025 which will, inter alia, change the threshold from a subjective to an objective test for establishing consent in rape and sexual assault cases;

• The Criminal Justice (Domestic Violence Register) Bill 2026 completed all Seanad stages on 25 June. The Bill will bring greater transparency and accountability for serious offenders.

• Establishing the necessary legislative basis to provide for Operation Encompass, which will enable An Garda Síochána to share information with schools when a child has been exposed to domestic violence.

As part of the Zero Tolerance Strategy, Government committed to doubling domestic violence accommodation capacity in Ireland by the end of 2026 from 141 to 282 family units.

By the end of 2026, it is envisaged to have 94 safe homes and 193 refuge units completed, bringing total safe accommodation to 287, with 50 further refuge units under construction. I am continuing to work with Cuan, my Department and the Department of Housing to ensure we are exhausting all measures to increase the pace of delivery for this much needed additional capacity.

Immigration

It is also a central priority for me to ensure that our immigration system is robust and rules based.

My Department has taken action to significantly improve immigration enforcement measures and increase removals. This includes the renewed use of chartered deportation and removal flights. In 2025, 4,700 deportation orders were signed, an increase of 96% compared to 2024, while 2,111 people had their departure confirmed under various mechanisms (i.e. enforced deportation, voluntary return etc.), an increase of 88% compared to 2024. To June 5 2026, 2,108 deportation orders have been signed, an increase of 9% on 2025.

International Protection

The EU Migration and Asylum Pact came into effect on June 12, 2026, as did the International Protection Act 2026. The Pact is a new EU framework to manage migration and asylum for the long-term. The overall objective of the Pact is to provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure.

New applicants are now required to attend Citywest Reception Centre for screening, which includes identity, criminality, health and vulnerability checks. Applicants are provided with legal counselling and may avail of free legal aid. They are triaged into the correct procedural pathway. The first interviews will take place before the end of June. Case processing will be more efficient through use of a new fully digital system, and cases will be decided quickly in the vast majority of cases. The new appeals body, TARA, is resourced to hear appeals within specific timelines, and immigration officers and the Garda National Immigration Bureau are prepared to return those whose application is unsuccessful or who do not have the right to remain during an appeal.

Ultimately, improved, faster processing will result in decreasing annual costs by reducing the time an applicant remains in the system.

State Owned Accommodation

I am committed to reforming Ireland’s international protection system to ensure its efficiency and robustness. A stable and sustainable accommodation network is a central element of that reform and a key PfG commitment. State-owned centres are part of the Government’s long-term plan to reduce the reliance on private accommodation providers resulting in better value for money of public funds and a more efficient international protection system. The purchase of the Citywest Hotel last year June was a significant step in achieving this.

The viability of other properties that could be utilised as state-owned accommodation is currently being accessed.

A coherent and sustainable response to the ending of the Temporary Protection Directive

On 26 May 2026, Government approved measures to support those displaced by the war in Ukraine to transition from Temporary Protection status in line with the EU Council recommendation for a co-ordinated approach to transition people out of Temporary Protection across the EU.

Ireland intends to continue to support people fleeing the war in Ukraine who are Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection.

Since the adoption of the Government Decision on 26 May 2026, significant progress has been made in implementing these measures. This includes the development of a new Temporary Permission Transition Scheme for eligible beneficiaries of temporary protection, phased withdrawal of state-contracted commercial accommodation in tandem with protections for those who have specific vulnerabilities, the development of voluntary return arrangements as well as strengthening of information and engagement supports through partners such as the Irish Red Cross and the International Organisation for Migration.

Delivery of these measures is being overseen through established cross-Government governance structures. These include the Senior Officials Group on Justice, divisions within my department and through regular whole-of-government engagement, local authorities, the European Commission and other stakeholders. Progress is monitored on an ongoing basis, with implementation milestones and emerging risks kept under review to ensure that Ireland’s response remains coordinated, sustainable and aligned with developments at EU level.

Community Safety

The National Office for Community Safety established in April 2025 is a central coordinating body to the new whole of government, collaborative, problem-solving approach to community safety as envisaged by the Commission for the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI).

Last June, I signed regulations to allow for Local Community Safety Partnerships to begin their work across the country. These regulations provide for a total of 36 Local Community Safety Partnerships to be established across every Local Authority. At a local level, community safety partnerships will play a major role in enhancing community safety nationwide in collaboration with An Garda Síochána, local residents, businesses and state agencies. I secured an additional €2.5 million in Budget 2026 to support the establishment of all 36 Local Community Safety Partnerships across the country.

Members have been appointed to all 36 of these Safety Partnerships and the Partnerships are working to develop Local Community Safety Plans for their local areas.

Improvements to international judicial cooperation

Bilateral agreements between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates on extradition and mutual legal assistance (MLA) in criminal matters entered into force on 18 May 2025. The bilateral MLA and extradition treaties will ensure that criminals cannot evade the law. They will also serve to mitigate the harm caused by any perception that criminals can evade the law and benefit from the ill-gotten gains of criminal activity abroad, which itself diminishes the trust and confidence of citizens in the rule of law.

I have also received Cabinet approval to publish the Criminal Justice (International Cooperation on Electronic Evidence and Other Matters) Bill 2026. The Bill, which is currently progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas, will establish a new Office of Director of Criminal Justice International Cooperation, to allow Ireland to meet the requirements of the EU e-Evidence package. The package will make it faster and easier for law enforcement and judicial authorities across the EU, to obtain electronic evidence from service providers as part of criminal investigations. It is expected that all stages of consideration of the Bill will be completed this week.

Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026

In December 2025, I secured Government approval to publish the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. The Bill, now titled the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, was passed by the Dáil on 10 June 2026 and passed Seanad Report and Final Stages on 2 July 2026. It will return to the Dáil for a final vote on amendments introduced in the Seanad on 15 July.

The Bill responds to a range of pressing challenges for the justice system. Among other provisions, it includes measures to:

• criminalise the highly exploitative behaviour commonly known as ‘sex for rent’;

• reform the law in relation to the disclosure of personal records in sexual offences trials, including by providing for a presumption of non-disclosure in relation to counselling notes and other sensitive personal records ;

• mandate greater consideration of community service orders as an alternative to imprisonment in a wider range of suitable cases;

• provide that prison officers may carry and deploy incapacitant spray in the course of their duties insofar as may be authorised by the Minister under the Prison Rules;

• enable the use of more advanced DNA analysis in missing persons cases;

• further facilitate video link hearings in the criminal courts by enabling bail bonds and suspended sentence bonds to be taken by Gardai and prison officers respectively;

• establish a permanent regulatory basis under which licenced premises may provide outdoor seating on public land;

• amend the Schedule to the Bail Act 1997 to add offences relating to forced marriage or coercive control, offences relating to witness intimidation, and offences of failing to comply with notification requirements under the Sex Offenders Act 2001;

• provide for an application-based legislative scheme for the disregard of certain historical convictions relating to consensual sexual activity between men;

• amend the Prisons Act 2015 to provide that, where two years or less of the applicable prison term remains to be served, a person may be taken from prison for the purpose of effecting a deportation or removal order;

• amend the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 to facilitate the use of the PPSN as a unique identifier for the criminal justice system;

• provide an enabling basis for electronic document transmission in criminal proceedings and in international co-operation proceedings, and for electronic statements of truth in lieu of affidavits or statutory declarations in such proceedings;

• amend the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 to provide members of An Garda Siochana with a limited power, in specified public order circumstances, to direct a person to remove a face covering;

• amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984 to provide a statutory basis for the admissibility, as certificate evidence in criminal proceedings, of the results of presumptive drug tests administered by members of An Garda Síochána;

• extend Ireland’s Passenger Name Record Data regime to include “intra-EU” flights flight routes between Ireland and the EU – in addition to extra-EU flights (routes between Ireland and countries outside the EU). The regime is underpinned by the EU PNR Directive (Directive 2016/681) and mandates the collection of PNR data from airlines and processing by national Passenger Information Units, in order to detect suspicious travel patterns and identify criminals and terrorists.

Omagh Inquiry

The International Co-operation (Omagh Bombing Inquiry) Act 2026 came into effect on 15 June 2026 in advance of the start of the Inquiry’s evidential hearings in September.

The commencement of the legislation is another major step in delivering on the PfG commitment to facilitate and support the Inquiry and adds to the suite of measures already implemented. Those measures include the Memorandum of Understanding with the Inquiry which has been in operation for over 12 months and under which a large volume of documentary materials has been disclosed. That work continues at pace. The measures also initiatives to support the disclosure of personal data to the Inquiry including the Data Protection Regulations that I signed last November.

Family Justice

The ongoing reform of the Family Justice system, for the benefit of families and children, is another of my key priorities.

Work has commenced on the implementation of the Family Courts Act 2024. The Act introduces changes to the current delivery of family justice, including the introduction of specialist family law judges assigned and operating within new family court divisions. I recently announced details of the Implementation Plan for the Family Justice Act that will result in some of the most significant reforms of the family justice system in the history of the State.

In June 2026, I launched a nationwide survey to learn more about professionals providing Voice of the Child and Welfare Reports in private family law proceedings to assist with the development and establishment of a panel of assessors. The establishment of a panel was another key recommendation in the Review of Expert Reports in the Family Law Process.

Prisons and penal reform

Irish Prison Service (IPS) is delivering one of the most significant capital programmes in the justice sector, reflecting the Government’s commitment to increase prison capacity and modernise the estate in line with population growth, with an overall target of delivering over 1,500 spaces by 2031. This includes a large extension to the existing Cork Prison on the site of the old, decommissioned Cork Prison, a new block in Wheatfield, an additional block extension at Midlands prison, and additional spaces at Castlerea, Mountjoy, Cloverhill, Portlaoise, Limerick and the Dóchas centre.

To accelerate delivery for this plan, I sought and secured an exemption from the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for six major projects (960 prison spaces) to move straight to Approval Gate 2 - Pre-Tender Approval of the Infrastructure Guidelines. This decision is expected to bring forward delivery timelines on those six projects by 12 to 18 months, while freeing up internal capacity within IPS to advance the wider programme. This acceleration reflects the priority placed by Government on strengthening the prison system’s resilience and providing safe, secure and humane accommodation. Since 2024, 258 spaces have been constructed across the Prison Estate, with 126 constructed in 2024, 106 constructed in 2025 and 26 constructed so far in 2026 with a plan to build another 39 spaces by the end of the year.

In June 2026, I published a Policy Review of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014. The purpose of the proposed Bill is to update the Probation of Offenders Act 1907 with modern provisions dealing with community sanctions and the role of the Probation Service in the criminal justice system. The Policy Review was jointly undertaken by my Department and the Probation Service. It proposes changes to the 2014 Bill’s General Scheme to reflect more recent developments in Irish penal policy, and it recommends several changes to pre-sentencing practice, while retaining the 2014 provisions around reparation orders and the discontinuation of the Court Poor Box. My Department will now progress work in relation to the revision of the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014.

The Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, which completed all Seanad stages on 2 July and is due to return to the Dáil on 15 July for a final vote on the Seanad amendments, includes amendments to the Criminal Justice (Community Service) Act 1983 aimed at encouraging greater use of community service orders (CSOs). The amendments will oblige the courts to consider a CSO in lieu of a prison sentence of up to 24 months’ duration (the current such threshold being 12 months) and to give reasons where they consider that a CSO should not be imposed in such a case. A court will also be able to order up to 480 hours of community service (the current statutory maximum being 240 hours).

A key recommendation of the High-Level Taskforce (HLTF) on mental health and addiction was the establishment of a Community Access Support Team (CAST) to divert those experiencing situational trauma or a mental health crisis away from the criminal justice system, and towards the healthcare system. The CAST project commenced in January 2025 and is a partnership pilot between An Garda Síochána and the Mental Health Services of HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare which is currently being trialled in the Limerick Garda Division.

This has resulted in multiple diversions from arrest and subsequent detentions under Section 12 of the Mental Health Act 2001 to the benefit of individual patients and increased public safety. An evaluation of CAST has recently been completed by the University of Limerick.

Counter-terrorism

Last June, I received Cabinet approval to strengthen Ireland’s counter-terrorism laws with the publication of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Terrorist Offences Bill will allow for the prosecution of a broader range of terrorist activities in light of the evolving nature of terrorism. These include terrorist acts with a cross-border element, and cyber-attacks where the aim is to cause widespread harm. The Bill will bring Ireland’s counter-terrorism laws into line with those of other EU member states. This alignment will facilitate Ireland’s participation in enhanced counter-terrorism networks across the EU, enabling An Garda Síochána to tap into those networks to respond to both domestic and cross-border terrorist threats. On 30 June, the Bill successfully completed its passage through both Houses of the Oireachtas. It will now be presented to the President for signing and promulgation.