Paul Murphy
Question:7. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration when the Offences Against the State Act, 1939 will be repealed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49377/26]
View answerLegislative Measures
Questions (7)
Written answers
In February 2021, an Independent Review Group was appointed to review the Offences against the State Acts. The Review Group which was chaired by Mr Justice Michael Peart, was required by its terms of reference to take account of the current threat posed by domestic and international terrorism and organised crime; the duty to deliver a fair and effective criminal justice system to ensure the protection of communities and the security of the State; and the State’s obligations in relation to constitutional and ECHR rights and international law.
The Group delivered two reports in May 2023, a majority and minority report. The reports were subsequently published by the then Minister in June 2023. The majority put forward a package of proposals for a modern legal framework to replace the Offences Against the State Acts.
My Department has engaged in consultation on the recommendations of the Review Group and has examined the reports from a variety of perspectives including policy, governance, and legislation. In May 2025, after completing and considering this extensive consultation, I informed the Government that I accept, in principle, the recommendations of the majority report. This sets a clear direction for reform.
My Department is currently considering how the reform package recommended in the majority report can be provided for in legislation and I intend to bring firm proposals to Government later this year. Those proposals, if accepted by Government, will then form the basis for the drafting in 2027 of the General Scheme of the new legislation.
The Group also recognised the need for such legislation to be subject to regular meaningful independent oversight, The Deputy will be aware, that the office of the Independent Examiner of Security Legislation was formally established on the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 on 2 April 2025. Mr Justice George Birmingham, former President of the Court of Appeal, is the current office holder.
Questions Nos. 8 and 9 answered orally.
Road Safety
Questions (10)
Paul McAuliffe
Question:10. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the impact of the seizure of scrambler bikes on community safety in Dublin, since April 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49770/26]
View answerWritten answers
Firstly I want to offer my sympathies to those seriously injured in incidents involving scramblers and e-scooters in recent weeks. In one such incident a teenage boy was injured in a hit-and-run involving a scrambler in north Dublin. I wish him a speedy recovery and appeal to any potential witnesses, or those who may have video footage of the incident, to support Gardaí with their enquiries.
On 1 April, the Road Traffic (Control of Certain Vehicles) Regulations 2026, known as Grace's Law, were signed into law by Darragh O'Brien TD, the Minister for Transport. These regulations implement an explicit ban on scrambler use in any public place, to enhance community safety.
The regulations prohibit the use of an off-road motorcycle, such as a scrambler or a quadbike, in any place, except on private land. They impose a requirement of consent where restricted vehicles are used on private land, and will make enforcement easier.
The mere use of scramblers is now explicitly an offence, assisting An Garda Síochána operationally by ensuring that members no longer have to form a reasonable belief about dangerous use of the vehicle.
Gardaí also have additional, and significant, legislative powers to combat the antisocial and dangerous misuse of scramblers, quad bikes, e-scooters and other such vehicles including under the Road Traffic Act 1961, the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, and the Criminal Law Act 1997 and the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023.
I am assured that An Garda Síochána continues to adopt a proactive approach in addressing the illegal use of scramblers, quads, e-bikes and e-scooters.
I informed by Garda authorities of a substantial increase in the seizure of these types of vehicles during the first quarter of 2026 when measured against the full year 2025.
Garda authorities report 754 incidents in which an e-scooter has been seized in the first quarter of this year, compared to a full year figure of 931 for 2025.
In respect of e-bikes, the 140 seizures recorded in Quarter 1 is already over half the 237 seized in the whole of 2025.
Similarly, scrambler and quad bike seizures, at 94 and 17 incidents respectively for the first quarter of this year, are tracking well ahead of 2025 full-year figures of 159 and 40.
Further to the regulations that introduced a ban on the use of scramblers in public places, it should be noted that the ban has only been in effect since the beginning April and as such the data on arrests, prosecutions and convictions made under this legislation are not yet available.
Tackling dangerous driver behaviours and promoting compliance with road traffic laws will continue to be addressed through road safety education and public awareness campaigns and the enforcement of road traffic laws.
Question No. 11 answered orally.
Cybersecurity Policy
Questions (12)
Malcolm Byrne
Question:12. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on any additional cyber resilience measures undertaken by the State for the duration of the EU Presidency and in preparation for the meeting of the European Political Community. [49545/26]
View answerWritten answers
The Government is committed to ensuring Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union is a success and is delivered safely and securely.
As of today, Ireland holds the Presidency of the EU for the next six months. The planning and preparation for this very important occasion have however been long underway.
There is no doubt the scale and significance of Presidency events taking place in the State, along with the meeting of the European Political Community, mean that unprecedented security considerations arise.
The security arrangements put in place by An Garda Síochána and our other services reflect the wider backdrop of a changed EU security landscape and this more complex threat environment. The arrangements reflect the detailed planning of all aspects of the security and policing requirements that has been undertaken by An Garda Síochána over many months including interagency engagement and continuous liaison with policing and security partners across the EU.
I am briefed regularly by the Garda Commissioner on security and policing planning and am satisfied that all appropriate preparatory actions are being taken by An Garda Síochána in collaboration with key stakeholders including the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in my Department and the Defence Forces.
In relation to cyber resilience measures in particular, the NCSC has undertaken additional engagement and preparedness activity, including holding cyber preparedness exercises to test response arrangements and strengthen coordination. In addition, the NCSC undertook a cyber threat assessment for Ireland’s Presidency which was published in June.
My Department (including the NCSC) and An Garda Síochána participate in the structures sitting under the Ministerial Council of National Security, established in 2025, which bring together a wider stakeholder group, including the National Security Analysis Centre and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and support a whole of Government approach to addressing multifaceted security issues.
Questions Nos. 13, 14 and 15 answered orally.
Road Safety
Questions (16)
Paul McAuliffe
Question:16. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to the recently reported figures on the seizure of scrambler bikes nationally in Quarter 1 of 2026, if he expects a continued pattern of seizures in Quarter 2; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49769/26]
View answerWritten answers
Our road safety strategy takes a whole of government approach and is a shared responsibility. Development and implementation of road traffic legislation and policy falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, and the vital role of enforcing road traffic laws is carried out by An Garda Síochána.
To support An Garda Síochána, we now have an enhanced legislative framework following the signing into law of the Road Traffic (Control of Certain Vehicles) Regulations 2026, known as Grace's Law. Gardaí also have additional, and significant, legislative powers to combat the antisocial and dangerous misuse of scramblers, quad bikes, e-scooters and other such vehicles including under the Road Traffic Act 1961, the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, and the Criminal Law Act 1997 and the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023.
I commend An Garda Síochána on the progress they have made regarding the seizure and detention of scrambler bikes and other such vehicles.
I am informed by Garda authorities of substantial increases in the seizure and detention of these vehicles when comparing the first quarter of 2026 against the full year of both 2024 and 2025.
Garda authorities have reported 754 incidents of e-scooter seizure or detention to the end of the first quarter of 2026.
This three-month total represents over 80% of the 931 incidents recorded across the full year of 2025. It is more than double the 310 incidents recorded in the full year of 2024.
For e-bikes, the 140 seizures in the first quarter of 2026 has already almost surpassed the 144 recorded in all of 2024. It already constitutes nearly 60% of the 2025 full-year total of 237.
Similarly, the 94 scrambler seizures for the first quarter in 2026, are tracking well ahead of previous annual baselines, where such incidents were 165 in 2024 and 159 in 2025.
Finally, the 17 Quad bike seizures in the first quarter of 2026 compares to 39 and 40 seized in the full years of 2024 and 2025 respectively.
I commend Gardaí for this work and I look forward to the data they release with respect to the seizure and detention of vehicles in Q2 of this year.
Question No. 17 answered orally.
Deportation Orders
Questions (18)
Joe Neville
Question:18. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if there are any more charter flights organised before the end of 2026 for deportations; the number of people that will be included in these deportations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49844/26]
View answerWritten answers
It is a central priority for me that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that there is confidence in the application of our legislation in this area.
Deportations are costly and complex to enforce. It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily and my Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order. A person can only avail of voluntary return before a deportation order is issued and I have increased resources into this programme to enable individuals who wish to return before a deportation order is issued to them.
Charter flight services recommenced last year and are provided by Air Partner Ltd under a contract entered into in November 2024. Charter flights provide an alternative to commercial flights and can be more appropriate in circumstances when a group of individuals are being removed to the same destination. This has increased the options available to An Garda Síochána to effect removals and deportations.
In 2025, six charter flight operations removed 205 people from the State, while four charter operations to date in 2026 have seen the removal of 172 people from the State.
Further charter operations will be conducted throughout 2026. As the Deputy will appreciate, it would not be appropriate for me to disclose the details of these operations.
While charter flights have increased the options available to An Garda Síochána to effect removals, commercial flights remain the the primary means of deportation from the state. People are deported from the state on a daily and weekly basis on scheduled commercial flights where this is deemed appropriate.
An Garda Síochána
Questions (19)
Barry Ward
Question:19. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps that are being taken to increase An Garda Síochána numbers and visibility in communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49853/26]
View answerWritten answers
Getting more Gardaí on our streets to prevent and detect crime is my first priority as Minister. As I've said, we've allocated over €2.7 billion to the Garda Vote this year, the largest ever allocation.
This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring An Garda Síochána has provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work.
It is clear that recruitment into An Garda Síochána has gathered real momentum. Cohorts of over 200 trainees are now entering Templemore regularly. In the first intake of this year, 215 recruits entered Templemore. 201 Trainees entered the College on 4 May and to-date in 2026, 360 new Gardaí have already attested from Templemore.
It is worth highlighting that the most recent Garda Trainee recruitment campaign ran from 11 May until 3 June 2026. 4,123 applications were received, demonstrating the strong interest that there is among the public in a career in An Garda Síochána.
The overall Garda workforce has increased from 15,980 in 2016 to over 18,200 in 2026, according to Garda figures.
An Garda Siochana introduced a High Visibility Policing (HVP) Plan in Dublin City Centre in March 2025. This initiative has since been rolled out to Cork and Limerick City Centres, as well as areas of South Dublin, including Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire. The Garda Commissioner is committed to continuing this rollout to other areas of the Dublin Metropolitan Region, and to other areas nationwide. Ongoing Garda recruitment is supporting this commitment.
Feedback from business and the public on the High Visibility Policing approach in Dublin and the other cities where it has been introduced, has been very positive and I look forward to it being rolled out to other areas into the future.
Question No. 20 answered orally.