2026-05-14

6. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will provide an update on proposals to introduce official identity cards, including photographic identification, for peace commissioners; the current status of engagement with his Department on this matter; and the timeframe for implementation. [30587/26]

I understand that under the Minister's predecessor, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, a review group was established to examine the provision of official identity cards for peace commissioners. Will the Minister provide an update on what work has been carried out, whether any recommendations have been made and whether the Department intends to move towards the implementation of an official identification system for our peace commissioners?

I thank the Deputy for his question. In line with the provisions of section 88 of the Courts of Justice Act 1924, peace commissioners are appointed, and may be removed from that appointment, by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and each newly-appointed peace commissioner is issued with a warrant of appointment. The Department informs An Garda Síochána of all newly-appointed peace commissioners in relevant areas and indeed the Garda has a role to play in vetting all applicants for the position of peace commissioner. The warrant of appointment is an important document which should be retained at all times by an individual while they are in the office of peace commissioner. Where an individual or a body requires further confirmation that a person has been appointed as a peace commissioner, it is open to them to contact the peace commissioner unit in the Department. The warrant of appointment for a peace commissioner is a unique document and as such replacement or duplicate warrants are not issued. If a peace commissioner misplaces their warrant they may write to the Department requesting a letter confirming their inclusion in the roll of peace commissioners. I can advise the Deputy that a review of the role and functions of peace commissioners, as well as of the appointment process, is currently under way in the Department and will include consideration of matters regarding identification of peace commissioners. Other areas of focus in the review include a review of the existing functions and powers of peace commissioners, appointments, removal and complaints procedures for peace commissioners, as well as the updating and maintenance of the roll or register of peace commissioners and consideration of making the roll available online.

I thank the Minister of State. For transparency, I put on record I am a peace commissioner and a commissioner for oaths. I think we have approximately 4,500 peace commissioners appointed nationwide. As the Minister of State said, they carry out vital functions on a voluntary basis, including witnessing signatures, verifying documents and assisting citizens who may otherwise have limited access to such services locally. However, in carrying out these duties many peace commissioners are increasingly finding themselves in situations where they are required to provide their own identity and official status despite not having formal photographic identification issued by the State. I welcome that the review is ongoing. When identity fraud is growing all the time, I ask the Minister of State to give serious consideration to such an identity card.

I thank the Deputy. I agree with him on this. Part of the work of reviewing the roll of peace commissioners is with a view to making it as accurate as possible. Obviously there is a legacy of records and retained data. Given the roll of peace commissioners goes back nearly to the foundation of the State it is quite a complex and lengthy undertaking but good progress has been made. Once that work has been completed, consideration will be given to making the roll of peace commissioners available online and accessible to the public. That will give them the assurance they can search online to verify a person is a peace commissioner. On identification, the issue is complex and involves a number of legal and technical considerations, including data protection and also appropriate confidentiality and personal safety.

I thank the Minister of State. This is a practical and sensible solution. It would provide reassurance not only to peace commissioners but also to members of the public engaging with them. A member of An Garda Síochána can produce an official warrant card yet a peace commissioner, despite exercising a very important statutory function, has nothing comparable to confirm their position. I accept what the Minister of State is saying in terms of the initial letter of warrant, but I am talking about photographic identification. Given the relatively modest scale of such a measure, I again ask that the Minister of State give serious consideration to progressing it and commit the Department to a timeline for the next steps following this ongoing review process.

I agree with the Deputy. It is my view that it should be progressed and it is also the view within the Department. I think the overall review that we are conducting will come to that conclusion also. I flag to the Deputy, though, that it is not provided for within the legislation at the moment, so we will have to come up with some kind of a system or an administrative fix to be able to manage that appropriately.