Ireland Department of Justice

Ireland's National DNA Database Marks 10th Anniversary

Ireland's Department of Justice announced the 10th anniversary of the national DNA database, established under the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014. The database, managed by Forensic Science Ireland, has aided nearly 8,000 criminal investigations since 2015 and currently holds over 94,000 profiles.

Child Maintenance Calculator Launched in Ireland

The Irish Department of Justice has launched a new online child maintenance calculator to assist parents in determining child support payments. This tool follows the recent publication of Ireland's first Child Maintenance Guidelines and aims to facilitate direct arrangements between parents or with professional assistance.

EU Internet Forum Discusses Terrorism and Illegal Content Online

The EU Internet Forum met in Brussels to discuss combating terrorism, extremism, and illegal content online. Ministers endorsed a revised EU Online Crisis Response Framework to expedite the removal of terrorist content and enhance early warning alerts among member states' law enforcement.

EU Justice and Home Affairs Council Meeting Discussions

The Irish Minister for Justice attended the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting to discuss migration, security, and justice issues. Key topics included voluntary returns, EU support for transit countries, the EU Drugs Strategy, and the future mandate of Europol. Ministers also agreed on a general approach for a regulation protecting vulnerable adults.

Operation Encompass Cross-Border Meeting on Child Domestic Violence Support

The Irish Department of Justice convened a cross-border meeting to advance the introduction of Operation Encompass, an initiative to share information between police and schools to support children affected by domestic violence. The program, already successful in Northern Ireland, will be legislated for national rollout in Ireland, starting with a pilot in Drogheda.