Questions

1455. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware that according to a report (details supplied), drawing on the 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard and Council of Europe data, Ireland had the lowest number of judges per 100,000 inhabitants among EU Member States; the steps being taken to increase the number of judges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44036…

1456. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware that according to a report (details supplied), the 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard identified Ireland as having the lowest case clearance rate among EU Member States, with the backlog of unresolved matters increasing each year; the steps being taken to reduce this backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter…

1457. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware that according to a report (details supplied), the number of prisoners held on remand in Ireland increased by 34% between 2019 and 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44040/26]

1458. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of deaths of persons in the custody of Cork prison in each of the years 2021 to 2025 and to date in 2026, including deaths occurring in the prison, in hospital, and deaths occurring within one month of a grant of temporary release, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44041/26]

1459. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of recorded prisoner-on-prisoner assaults; the number of recorded assaults on staff in Cork Prison in each of the years 2021 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44042/26]

19. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the resources that have been allocated to the Cork Garda divisional drug unit, given the increase in drug-related crime and gang activity in Cork city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34352/26]

37. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration given the current overcrowding, if he will expand on the proposals for the use of the old prison site at Rathmore Road, Cork city; if he will engage with the Prison Service to ensure that any retrofit would include a provision for community facilities and use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34353/26]

635. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the rationale for deferring the restoration of the final 8% of District Court criminal legal aid fees until 1 July 2026; whether he will consider bringing forward this restoration in light of concerns raised by the Bar of Ireland regarding the impact on access to justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32500/26]

636. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has assessed the impact that the deferral of District Court fee restoration is having on the availability of experienced barristers willing to take on criminal legal aid work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32501/26]

637. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the timeline for the substantive review of District Court fees announced by his Department; the terms of reference for that review; the stakeholders being consulted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32502/26]

638. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has reviewed the operation of the flat-fee model for District Court criminal legal aid; whether he is aware of concerns raised by the Bar of Ireland that the model penalises defence lawyers for procedural delay and adjournments necessitated by essential procedural steps; and if he will make a statement on …

639. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has data on the number of experienced practitioners who have ceased taking on District Court criminal legal aid work over the past three years; the steps being taken to prevent an exodus of senior practitioners from this area of practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32504/26]

640. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the substantive or administrative overlap between solicitors' fees and barristers' fees in District Court legal aid matters; whether his Department intends to review this overlap as part of the broader fee review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32505/26]

641. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of interim protection orders granted under the Domestic Violence Act 2018 in each of the past five years, broken down by court area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32506/26]

642. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average duration for which interim protection orders remain in place pending a full hearing; whether his Department has assessed the impact of prolonged interim periods on parties to such proceedings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32507/26]

643. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department intends to review the operation of interim protection orders under the Domestic Violence Act 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32508/26]

644. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current status of pre-legislative scrutiny of the Civil Reform Bill 2025 by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice; the expected publication date of the draft Bill; the timeline for its progression through the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32509/26]

645. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to the announcement that the proposal to initiate certain judicial review applications in the Circuit Court is being dropped; the specific reforms now proposed within the High Court process to deliver the efficiencies originally sought; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32510/26]

646. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his response to concerns raised by the Bar of Ireland and human rights organisations during pre-legislative scrutiny that the proposed public-interest test in judicial review proceedings under the Civil Reform Bill 2025 may place unnecessary barriers in the path of citizens seeking remedy in court; and if he will make a statemen…

647. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason certain provisions in the Civil Reform Bill 2025 depart from the recommendations of the Kelly Report; whether he will consider amendments during legislative scrutiny to align the Bill more closely with those recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32512/26]

648. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Civil Reform Bill 2025, as currently drafted, includes adequate safeguards for effective court oversight in public law litigation, particularly given concerns raised about the proposed standing and public-interest tests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32513/26]

62. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline his Department’s policy in relation to the use of “electronic tagging” of prisoners, specifically with reference to the acute overcrowding of prisons we are facing; if the number of electronic tags in circulation could be provided for each of the years since the inception of tagging, in tabular form; and if he will mak…

74. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if the Garda Commissioner and his leadership teams in the Gardaí have provided him with the policy on the use of tasers; if he can detail any relevant data relating to their use, such as, the number of times they have been drawn; the number of times they have been used, and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2…

356. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in view of recent events and his comments, whether he and the Government plan to bring the process for Ireland to become a signatory to the council of Europe’s Saint-Denis convention that spearheads a Europe-wide approach for an integrated safety, security and service approach at football matches and other sporting events; and i…

800. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prosecutions there have been under “Coco’s Law” annually, since its introduction into Irish law in February 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14917/26]