Jim O'Callaghan, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I am pleased to introduce this afternoon to Dáil Éireann the Proceeds of Crime and Related Matters Bill 2025. This Bill is a significant and necessary step forward in our efforts to ensure that Ireland's framework for tackling organised crime is robust and effective. The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach will recall that 29 years ago last month, the very brave journalist Veronica Guerin was murdered. In the aftermath of her murder, there were very significant legislative changes made by the Houses of the Oireachtas to ensure that we could combat the organised crime gangs that had such violence and influence at that time. It was apparently the case, and it still is the case, regrettably, that those crime gangs in different guises continue to exist. We can also see throughout our communities the damage and devastation that organised drug crime gangs heap on society. We see it in terms of the damage done to young people who become addicted to drugs - drugs that have been dealt to them because of the greed of those organised crime gangs. Obviously, the motivator for all these organised crime gangs when it comes to the dealing of drugs is money. They get involved in organised crime and the dealing of drugs because they want to make money from this pursuit. Let us never lose sight of the fact that what motivates them is where we should continue to hit them.

Even yesterday, we would have seen that a very significant drug dealer pleaded guilty to very serious offences before the Circuit Criminal Court in respect of the type of drug activity in which he was involved in terms of being a multi-millionaire euro cocaine, cannabis and ketamine dealer. At the outset, I want to commend An Garda Síochána on the excellent work it did in apprehending that serious criminal and bringing him to trial and getting a conviction arising from his own admission of guilt. I commend the Dublin crime response team. I commend assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary and detective inspector Ken Holohan on the excellent work the Dublin crime response team did yesterday in apprehending what was a significant drug dealer in this country.

Of course, we need to keep at the forefront of our minds that we need to keep updating and changing our laws to ensure we can remain on top of these organised crime gangs so that we never get them in a situation where they feel comfortable about their accumulation of wealth. As I stated at the outset, the legislation that was introduced in the aftermath of Veronica Guerin's murder was revolutionary legislation. I went back and had a look at the legislation that was introduced in the summer of 1996. It was, interestingly, a Private Members' Bill in its first incarnation through the then Opposition spokesperson for Fianna Fáil, John O'Donoghue. In fairness to the Government of the day, it subsequently adopted it through the then Minister for Justice, Nora Owen, but it has had a very significant impact on the activities of criminals operating in Ireland.

When I get the opportunity, as I have had in the past, to meet justice ministers and home affairs ministers from other European countries, one of the things they wish to talk about is the proceeds of crime legislation that was introduced in Ireland and that has been operating now for 30 years. What fascinates and interests them is the fact that we have a system whereby we can have a non-criminal conviction process of attaching assets that have been generated by criminals. That was the great achievement of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 and, indeed, the corresponding Criminal Assets Bureau legislation, which was enacted in the same year. I commend the excellent work done by the Criminal Assets Bureau and in particular detective chief superintendent Michael Gubbins, who is the head of CAB, for the very important work it does on an ongoing basis.

The legislation before the House this afternoon is for the purpose of amending the proceeds of crime legislation and to ensure it is more effective in seeking to pursue organised crime gangs that have made a lot of money out of criminal activity. Those proceeds of crime should not be permitted to remain with them. If we have difficulties in getting criminal convictions before the courts, we should still nonetheless use the civil courts and proceeds of crime legislation to ensure we can seize their assets. That has been done very effectively in the past. If we look at the success of the Criminal Assets Bureau, Members will see it has denied criminals over €220 million since its establishment. That is a testament to its success and the importance of introducing that new statutory body.

As I said, the impact of organised crime extends far beyond financial loss. It inflicts profound social harm and erodes the fabric of our communities. Everyone in this House will be aware of the devastation that drug addiction has on young people. It destroys their lives. We really need to repeat that consistently so that people are aware that if they start experimenting with drugs, there is a serious threat that this will have a devastating impact on their lives. The people who are pushing drugs to them are doing it for one reason and one reason only; they want to make money so they can use that wealth for their own private enjoyment. I can assure people that they will never allow themselves to become addicted in the same way as their victims have become addicted.

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