Irish Penal Reform Trust

Lobbying Organisation Irish Penal Reform Trust

Date published 21 Jan, 2021

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Justice and Equality

Period 1 Sep, 2020 to 31 Dec, 2020

Specific Details Submission to Oireachtas Special Committee on COVID-19 Response

Intended results Minimise the use of imprisonment as a sanction during a pandemic Prioritise social measures over penal measures during a pandemic Ensure equal access to justice in remote court hearings Strengthen inspection and oversight of all places of detention Advocate for human rights assessment of measures introduced in response to emergency situations Legislate to protect against the use of prolonged solitary confinement in prison

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Fíona Ní Chinnéide, Executive Director

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Submission (1)

IPRT was invited by the Oireachtas Special Committee on COVID-19 Response to make a submission on how the State’s legislative framework contributed to an effective response to the current crisis, and proposals for improvements and reforms.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Michael McNamara TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Colm Brophy Minister of State for the Diaspora and Overseas Development Aid (Department of Foreign Affairs)

Colm Burke TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Matt Carthy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Collins TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

David Cullinane TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Cormac Devlin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pearse Doherty TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Neasa Hourigan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul McAuliffe TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Fergus O'Dowd TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Louise O'Reilly TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pádraig O'Sullivan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Matt Shanahan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Róisín Shorthall TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Bríd Smith TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Duncan Smith TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)