I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, for coming today. I will address a few matters relating to licensed firearms. Ireland has approximately 150,000 licensed firearms holders, accounting for more than 210,000 licensed firearms, the vast majority of which are shotguns and rifles used by farmers and game hunters every day in rural Ireland. Firearm ownership is tightly regulated. Ireland's firearms regime is widely regarded as one of the most stringent in the world.

Garda superintendents play a central role in granting and refusing licences. I welcome that the vast majority of firearms licences are issued in a timely and proper manner. However, no system is perfect and problems are being reported relating primarily to local inconsistencies in the interpretation and implementation of licensing systems. These include administrative failures such as loss or misplacement of applications requiring applicants to restart the process from the beginning. In some cases, applications are not processed within the expected timeframe, thereby creating legal uncertainties for applicants whose licences lapse during the delay. Some applicants have been told they own too many firearms, despite previously meeting all legal requirements, while others have faced additional or arbitrary conditions not mentioned in the Commissioner's guidelines, such as excessive documentation requirements. More serious concerns relate to decisions influenced by personal views of certain types of firearms or judgments based on applicants' age rather than statute criteria. There are reports of failures to provide formal refusal letters outlining reasons for the refusal of some applications. These inconsistencies should not be happening. They are unfair, undermine confidence in the system and create uncertainty for compliant, law-abiding licenceholders.

A number of weeks ago, I hosted a well-attended briefing in the audiovisual room, at which speakers from the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC, and firearms users' representative groups outlined the problems facing too many licensed firearms users in Ireland. While the litany of inconsistency outlined by both organisations that I have summarised today offers some reason for worry, what is more worrying is that the national organisations have been denied a forum to discuss these issues with the Department. At the briefing last week, we heard about a meeting in Kilmainham which the Minister established, but we heard there are still no terms of reference and that the national organisations have been excluded from membership.

Where individuals from the national organisations were invited, it was made clear to them that they were attending in an individual capacity. Most worrying, however, is that we have heard that the concern attendees tried to raise regarding inconsistencies in the Garda implementation of licences was ruled out of order by the chair on the basis that it was not within the remit of the meeting.

I thank Senator Brady for raising this important issue. The reform of the firearms licensing system has been under consideration for a number of years and extensive consultation has been undertaken. An Garda Síochána is the competent authority for licensing and possession of firearms within the State. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is the competent authority for maintenance of the register of firearms dealers and the import and export within the European Union of firearms and ammunition.

The Department of justice holds meetings with individual firearms organisations on request and engages with various firearms stakeholders, including representative firearms organisations, in various ways. An Garda Síochána also meets with firearms stakeholder organisations in respect of relevant matters and officials from the Department also liaise regularly with the firearms policy unit of An Garda Síochána on firearms-related matters.

In 2025, the Department organised a series of engagements with firearms stakeholders in Wicklow, Limerick, Carrick-on-Shannon and Mullingar. I and officials from my Department have also met with representative organisations, including the Target Shooting Ireland Olympic shooters and the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC. In these and other engagements, I have confirmed my support for more regular and structured engagement between policymakers and firearms users, which has taken place since the previous meeting of the firearms consultative panel in 2019.

I can advise that ongoing engagement has continued with firearms stakeholders. The most recent engagement took place on 28 April 2026, when more than 20 representatives of the firearms community and firearms stakeholder organisations attended the meeting with my officials. This was the fourth in a series of meetings that have taken place since 18 September 2025. During this series of meetings, a multitude of items across the firearms sector has been discussed. This series of meetings is due to continue throughout the year. Many stakeholders who attended have expressed positive feedback to Department officials on the conduct and outcome of the meetings. Certain members have expressed their gratitude in regard to the productivity of the meetings. They were encouraged by the Department's efforts to maintain momentum in the process.

A consultation phase is due to take place in the coming months with firearms representative organisations with regard to the findings of the recent engagements. The objective of these meetings is to provide a mechanism for ongoing engagement with firearms stakeholders from a broad range of areas within the firearms community, ensuring their valuable insights in specific areas of firearms can be considered in any future policy and legislative changes that may arise.

The stakeholders attending these meetings include several of the representative organisations, experts in technical areas of firearms and members of An Garda Síochána's firearms policy unit. Several of the stakeholders were also members of the previous firearms consultative panel.

I thank the Minister of State for his response to the briefing we had in the audiovisual room at which the NARGC and others told us that there is no forum to which recognised national organisations are invited as organisations. There is no forum to discuss the serious issues I have outlined. If that is the case, it is not right.

I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister to review how the Department is facilitating engagement with stakeholder groups representing the real day-to-day concerns of licensed firearms users across rural Ireland. I hope that, going forward, those groups will be part of forums like that held in Kilmainham and will be allowed to engage in a constructive manner regarding the licensing of firearms. I hope the next report from the NARGC and the organisation will be more positive.

I thank the Senator for raising these issues. I agree with what he has said about inconsistencies in different Garda divisions. One of our aims, and the reason we set up the stakeholder forum, is to try to iron out these issues.

I reiterate that An Garda Síochána is the competent authority for licensing and possession of firearms within the State. Therefore, our Department does not have access to the current firearms licensing digital database. However, the Department is continuing positive communication and consultation on reform of the firearms licensing system with An Garda Síochána. The Department intends to continue stakeholder engagement meetings and the proactive and open engagement that has taken place. Stakeholder organisations are encouraged to make submissions to the meetings, engage with other stakeholders and contribute at the meetings. Any stakeholder organisation that would like to contribute to these engagements is welcome to engage with our Department on the matter.

Various stakeholders expressed their appreciation and satisfaction as to how the series of meetings has progressed does far. They thanked the Department for its willingness to initiate a programme for change and look forward to working with it to achieve a positive outcome.

I thank the Minister of State. Next is up Senator Nelson Murray. We are just swapping Ministers of State. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, obviously has a fondness for the Seanad. He is here nearly as much as I am.

I hope I am here less than the Acting Chair.