Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 March 2025
189. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the progress of the family justice strategy; when legislation will come before the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12467/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is leading a programme of family justice reform outlined in the first Family Justice Strategy, published in November 2022. This Strategy sets out an ambitious vision for a family justice system of the future - a system that will focus on the needs and rights of children and which will assist their parents in making decisions that affect all of the family. This will be achieved through the implementation of over 50 actions across nine goals, with timelines for delivery up to the end of 2025.
The goals and actions outlined in the Strategy stress the centrality of children to many family justice matters, and the need to ensure their best interests are considered in conjunction with their constitutional rights. A number of these actions have already been completed. For example, my Department published its policy paper on parental alienation in May 2023, setting out a series of recommendations to address this complex and challenging matter.
The Review of the Enforcement of Child Maintenance Orders was published on 7 January 2024. It examined how the current enforcement process works, the challenges associated with it and areas which may require reform. The review contains 26 recommendations on how the current system can be improved, and work is ongoing to implement those recommendations without delay. This includes the establishment of an interdepartmental committee to examine the development of a set of child maintenance guidelines. The work of this committee is underway.
My Department has reviewed the role of expert reports in private family law proceedings, including section 47 and section 32 reports, examining their commissioning, availability, content and use. Stemming from this research, my Department established a Voice of the Child Working Group which is taking forward some of the recommendations in the Review, including the development of a Children’s Court Advocate Pilot Project.
A key action under the Family Justice Strategy is to review the operation of the in-camera rule in family law proceedings. My Department issued a request for tender for this research and a research team led by UCC are undertaking the review. I am expecting the review’s final report to be submitted to my office in the coming weeks, after which the report will be published.
A further key component of the Strategy is the Family Courts Act 2024, which was signed into law in November 2024, and provides for the establishment of family court divisions within the existing court structures. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to developing an implementation plan for the Family Courts Act within the first 12 months of this Government.
