Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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516. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1124 of 9 September 2024, when the paper specifically related to guardianship rights if a parent is in custody, accused of, or serving a sentence for, the murder or manslaughter of the other parent, will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36444/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, a team has been established in my Department to review recommendations in the ‘Study on Familicide and Domestic and Family Violence Death Reviews’ that are not already being progressed as part of our work to tackle domestic abuse and protect victims.

These include a recommendation on restricting parental rights in cases of domestic homicide. In the case of this recommendation, the issues to be considered include the role and power of Tusla to take appropriate child protection action in emergency situations, the importance of putting the rights and voice of the child at the centre of our responses, and ensuring that nothing is done that could prejudice a trial.

In reviewing all these recommendations, the team are in consultation with stakeholder groups that have been established to support this work, involving relevant officials, civil society partners and most importantly the families of victims that contributed to the review. These consultations will inform how the recommendations are taken forward.

I understand that the paper on the Guardianship Rights will be presented to the consultation groups in the coming weeks for discussion which will inform the final recommendations made once the consultation process has concluded. I expect that the consensus recommendations of the three groups on this and all the other issues being examined will be submitted to me by the end of the year.

There are no current plans to publish the discussion papers that are being presented to the consultation groups throughout this project, including the paper on the Guardianship Rights.