Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
798. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on his Departments implementation of any of the recommendations contained in the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34294/26]
View answer799. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department accepts the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System finding that minority ethnic and migrant groups are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice systems of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and England & Wales; if he will publish disaggregated crime, arrest and imprisonment statistics by ethnicity and country of origin for Ireland in line with the report’s recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34295/26]
View answer800. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he has considered the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System warning that the absence of ethnic monitoring allows agencies to “escape accountability” for disparities; the steps his Department is taking to collect and publish data on the over-representation of foreign nationals and non-Irish ethnic groups in Irish prisons and probation services, as highlighted in prior studies referenced in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34296/26]
View answer801. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the way in which the Government intends to address the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System identified risks of stigmatisation when publishing ethnic crime data, while ensuring that the Irish public can have a transparent debate on any links between mass immigration, specific migrant ethnicities and rising crime rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34297/26]
View answer802. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the findings in the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System on the extreme over-representation of Indigenous and migrant-descended groups in the criminal justice systems of comparator countries have prompted any review of Ireland’s immigration policy; if he will confirm whether future immigration decisions will be informed by robust ethnicity and nationality crime data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34298/26]
View answer803. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if has examined the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System evidence that self-identification combined with officer perception is used successfully in England & Wales and New Zealand to capture accurate ethnicity data at the point of stop-and-search and arrest; if he will commit to introducing a similar standardised system in Ireland without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34299/26]
View answer804. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for his Department’s response to the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System conclusion that victim ethnicity data is the least developed area across all comparator jurisdictions; if he will publish hate crime and victimisation statistics broken down by ethnicity and migrant status to inform public debate on the impact of mass immigration on community safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34300/26]
View answer805. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason Ireland continues to lag behind the comparator countries examined in the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System in routinely recording and publishing ethnicity data in the criminal justice system; if the Government’s reluctance is due to concerns about what the data on migrant crime rates might reveal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34301/26]
View answer806. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will confirm that the April 2025 report An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System recommendation for contextualised publication of ethnic data (to avoid implying direct causal links between ethnicity and crime) will not be used as a reason to suppress or delay the release of statistics on foreign national offending; if he will outline a timeline for full implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34302/26]
View answer807. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether, in light of the Ethnic Monitoring report’s emphasis on the need for evidence-based policy to address disparities, his Department will now commit to a full public debate on the relationship between ethnicity, recent migration patterns and crime rates in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34303/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 798, 799, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806 and 807 together.
The research report, An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System was commissioned by the Department in 2022.
The research examined ethnic monitoring practices in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England and Wales, focusing on their design, implementation, and impact.
It examined how other jurisdictions implement ethnic monitoring in criminal justice systems, with the objective to provide insights to inform policy deliberations in the Irish context.
The research highlights the importance of consistent ethnic data collection, with some jurisdictions facing challenges due to fragmented systems, while a unified approach in others was presented as demonstrating the benefits of standardisation. While the importance of transparency in data sharing is crucial, the report highlighted how it must be accompanied by context and cultural sensitivity. It also highlights that a key gap across all jurisdictions is the lack of comprehensive data on crime victims.
The research report does not contain recommendations but rather provides learnings from other jurisdictions that can inform any development of an ethnic monitoring framework.
It is intended that its learnings will be reviewed in the context of a planned introduction of a common identification number for individuals within the criminal justice system, as committed to in the Programme for Government.
This identifier is being introduced to improve data accuracy and to streamline data sharing within the criminal justice sector. Data can assist in identifying emerging trends and patterns that the criminal justice sector may need to respond to. Sharing a common identification number across the criminal justice sector would facilitate the accurate exchange of information which could further enhance its ability to identify these emerging trends and patterns.
Once trends and patterns have been derived from the data, they can then be further used to inform strategic decision making, policy development and operational activity. Furthermore, data enables policymakers to measure the effectiveness of interventions.
I can assure the Deputy that the publication of disaggregated crime statistics is something that I support as an important contribution to our understanding of crime and to the development of policy.
