Department of Justice: Mid-Year Progress Report on Justice Plan 2023

19th December 2023

The Mid-Year Progress Report on Justice Plan 2023 was published in December by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee. The plan details the progress made so far to achieve 5 goals - or 140 actions - identified in the Justice Plan 2023 published in April last year. The five goals are as follows; 

1. Tackle crime, enhance national security, and transform policing
2. Improve access to justice and modernise the courts system
3. Strengthen community safety, reduce reoffending, support victims, and combat domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence
4. Deliver a fair immigration system for a digital age
5. Accelerate innovation, digital transformation, and climate action across the justice sector

Of the 140 actions in Justice Plan 2023, many of them relate to IPRT’s work. 

The Mid-Year Progress report reports on the delivery of actions assigned for Q1 and Q2 2023 only.

Some actions of note that have been reported as achieved:

• Action 110, to complete the review of the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 by Q2 is marked as ‘Achieved’. We hope to see the findings arising from the review and any proposed actions arising from it.
• Action 111.1, to publish a policy review of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014, is marked as ‘Achieved – to be published’. At the time of writing this, the review has not been publically published.

Some relevant actions that were due to be completed in this period but were not achieved:

• Publication of Inspection of Places of Detention Bill, intended to ratify the UN Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on Torture (OPCAT).
• Development of the Penal Policy Consultative Council.
• Review the policy of holding immigration detainees in prisons.

Read the full Mid-Year Progress Report on Justice Plan 2023 here.

See the full Justice Plan 2023 here.