Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O’Loughlin welcomes the announcement by the Minister for Justice that Government approval has been secured to publish the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2021.
The Kildare South Senator has twice introduced legislation on hate crimes over the past five years, most recently in the Seanad last November.
“I have previously pointed out that Ireland is behind the curve in being one of the last countries in the Western world to legislate in this area, so today’s government announcement is welcome.”
“There is an urgent need for progressive and rigorous hate crime legislation in our legal system. The absence of hate crime laws means that we are leaving vulnerable groups, such as those from ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and members of the LGBT community, without proper protection.”
“With today’s announcement we can now look forward to putting much needed laws on the statue books at last.”
