THE Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys, T.D., has today published the mid-year progress report on Justice Plan 2021.
Justice Plan 2021, which contains more than 230 actions, is the first in a series of annual plans setting out actions to build a justice system that works for everyone.
It also details how the Department of Justice’s goals and ambitions as set out in its Statement of Strategy for the years 2021-2023, A safe, fair and inclusive Ireland, will be achieved.
Commenting on the publication of the report today, Minister Humphreys said:
“We are moving at pace on our ambition to build a justice system that works for everyone, and deliver on our strategic goals and ambitions. I look forward to seeing and feeling the impact of this transformative work on the justice sector and the people who interact with it.
“I am pleased to report that of the 132 actions examined, 71% or 93 are achieved. 2021 has not been without its challenges, and it has been necessary to readjust the timelines for some actions but I am confident these will be delivered soon.”
Significant achievements have been made to date across the cross-cutting areas of priority under the Justice Plan. The Department has:
- Commenced Coco’s Law to criminalise the distribution of intimate images without consent
- Continued implementation of Supporting a Victim’s Journey: A plan to help victims and vulnerable witnesses in sexual violence cases
- Published the landmark General Scheme of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill, which provides for wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing by improving the performance and accountability of policing and security services, and supporting the human rights of all people throughout Ireland to be and to feel safe in their communities. This is supporting implementation of A Policing Service for the Future to reform policing in Ireland
- Driven community and cross-agency participation in a new approach to make communities safer. We have established pilot community safety partnerships in Dublin, Longford and Waterford
- Agreed to set up a Community Safety Innovation Fund to support communities. It will reflect the success of An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau in seizing the proceeds of crime and will fund projects communities themselves know will help in improving their safety.
- Published the Drogheda Implementation Plan, outlining 70 actions to improve community safety and wellbeing in Drogheda through greater co-operation by State agencies and others.
- Introduced strong measures to tackle the cost of insurance, including bringing into operation new personal injuries guidelines and enacting and commencing the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021 to establish a statutory criminal offence for perjury and related offences.
- Commenced the development of a scheme to regularise the immigration status of thousands of long-term undocumented people and their dependents. The Scheme is expected to open for applications before the end of the year.
- Continued to work on drafting the new Family Law Bill to overhaul and modernise family law and the courts to ensure disputes can be settled in a less adversarial way, more sensitive to the needs of families.
- Established the Parole Board on an independent statutory footing to take better account of the concerns of victims and survivors. Life-sentence prisoners must now serve 12 years before being considered for parole, compared to the previous 7 years
- Enacted the Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Act 2021 and commencement of its main provisions. The Act makes urgent changes to the Personal Insolvency Act 2012 to help people who are struggling to pay their debts to have more effective access to personal insolvency processes and solutions, in particular in light of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Published draft laws to introduce new, specific hate aggravated offences for crimes motivated by prejudice against protected characteristics
- Published an independent audit conducted on how responsibility for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is segmented across different government departments and agencies.
- Commenced a temporary system that enables applicants to complete their naturalisation process by signing a statutory declaration of loyalty to the State, thereby offering applicants the opportunity to complete their citizenship through the statutory declaration process while in person Citizenship Ceremonies are cancelled due to public health restrictions.
The Mid-Year Progress Report published provides an overview of the progress made in the first half of this year on the cross-cutting areas set out in the Justice Plan. Of the 132 actions and sub-actions examined and reported on in this progress report, over two thirds (71%, 93 actions) are achieved as of the end of Q2. 6 of the actions are categorised as ‘ongoing’ – that is to say that while these actions are on track and no issues are arising, the nature of the action is that work will continue throughout the year to ensure its successful delivery. The remaining 25% (33) of actions are categorised as ‘not yet achieved’.
The plan, which adopts a digital first agenda, commits to:
- Supporting and protecting victims of crime, and strengthening community safety
- Supporting An Garda Síochána in completing its transformation to a world-class policing service as recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing
- Providing an equitable and accessible path to justice, including through a new family law system
- Driving down costs of insurance and reducing legal fees to benefit businesses, consumers and communities
- Delivering a fair and efficient immigration system for a digital age.
- Implementing climate change action policies, in line with our national and international obligations and commitments.
Minister Humphreys continued
“I commend the enthusiasm and dedication of the Department’s leadership and staff in delivering on this ambitious programme of work which has met many Programme for Government commitments to date.
“This work is making Ireland a safer and fairer place to live, work, visit and do business.
“Justice Plan 2021 is incredibly ambitious and showcases the breadth and complexity of issues my Department is responsible for. We committed to publishing bi-annual progress reports and Government noted this one at its last meeting, which is useful to ensure our work is transparent, measurable and accountable”
A further progress report will be published at the end of the year.
