Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
775. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of people who have been prosecuted under the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023, which came into effect on 1 November 2023, and is designed to significantly toughen penalties for assaulting on-duty emergency workers, explicitly including hospital staff, nurses and doctors [14653/26]
View answerAn assault on a member of An Garda Síochána, a prison officer, a member of the fire brigade, ambulance personnel, or a member of the Defence Forces is already an offence under section 19 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994.
Any person who assaults, or threatens to assault, a front-line worker in the execution of their duty is guilty of an offence. An amendment was made to section 19 of the 1994 Act through section 63 of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023. That amendment increased the maximum sentence for assaulting or threatening to assault a Garda or other on-duty emergency worker, from 7 to 12 years.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decides whether or not someone should be prosecuted, and what crime they should be prosecuted for. The DPP is fully independent in the execution of her functions, under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974.
As Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I have no role in the operations, functions, oversight or governance of the Office of the DPP and am unable to provide any information or statistics relating to the Director's work as a result.
