Parliamentary Question for the Minister for Justice and Equality (Frances Fitzgerald TD)
For WRITTEN ANSWER on 17th of June 2014
To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide an update on the progress being made on the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012; when it is anticipated that it will complete its passage through both Houses of the Oireachtas; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Answer:
The Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012 has passed Committee Stage in the Dáil, having passed all stages in the Seanad. However, before the Bill could be taken at Report Stage, a 2013 UK Court of Appeal judgment necessitated a review of the disclosure provisions in both the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 and the Spent Convictions Bill. That review has been completed and amendments to the Vetting Act and consequential amendments to the Spent Convictions Bill are currently being drafted. It is my intention that the Bill will be enacted as soon as possible.