From:Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, has secured completion in the Dáil and Seanad of significant reforming legislation that will strengthen protections for women and children as part of the government's efforts to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

The new legislation includes Jennie's Law which provides for a public register of judgments for those convicted of domestic violence; Valerie's Law which provides for the removal or restriction of guardianship rights from a parent convicted of killing the other parent of their child; the criminalisation of the exploitative practice of seeking ‘sex for rent’ and presumed non-disclosure of counselling notes in criminal trials.

The new laws will now go forward to President Connolly to be signed.

“Recent tragic events have once again brought the reprehensible scourge of violence against women sharply into public focus. I want to provide an assurance particularly to women and children that I am steadfast in my determination as Minister to confront domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms and the new laws passed this evening stand as a testament to that.

“I believe the laws will have a positive impact in helping to prevent these unacceptable crimes and in making those responsible publicly accountable for their actions while supporting victims and survivors and their families.”

The Domestic Violence Judgments Register Act 2026 to be known as Jennie's Law, will provide for a publicly accessible register of judgments on those convicted of domestic violence against a former or current partner.

This will mean convictions for serious domestic violence offences will be publicised as part of the conviction process, ensuring that there is nowhere to hide for violent offenders who abuse their partners.

“It will be known as Jennie’s Law, in memory of Jennifer Poole, who was murdered by her ex-partner in 2021. The Poole family, and particularly Jennie’s brother Jason, deserve enormous credit for their advocacy on this issue.

“This legislation will help people who are in a relationship or considering a relationship with a person to ascertain whether they have a history of serious domestic violence convictions.

“The register is one part of the government's broader, comprehensive strategy to protect victims of domestic violence and reduce reoffending.”

Minister O’Callaghan also secured passage of amendments that will restrict disclosure of counselling notes in criminal trials to the maximum extent possible, while ensuring judges have independent oversight in all cases.

Minister O’Callaghan explained,

“Strong protections must apply to the handling of victims’ counselling notes in criminal trials. I have ensured the default position will be that counselling notes will not be disclosed, save for the cases where disclosure is ordered by a judge and warranted in the interest of justice and a fair trial. This creates a form of statutory privilege whereby counselling notes are not disclosable unless there is a risk of an unfair trial.

"The same protection regime is applied to other victims’ records containing sensitive personal data, such as medical records, child protection records and other such documents.

“I am aware that the disclosure of counselling notes can cause deep distress to victims and survivors of sexual violence. The government is committed to minimising intrusion into victims privacy to the greatest extent possible. However, this must be done within the Constitution, which guarantees the right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence. A complete ban on counselling notes would be unconstitutional as advised by the Attorney General. To do so would risk convictions or lead to mistrials. I want to thank those survivors and organisations working in the sector for their constructive engagement on this amendment.”

The same Bill – the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 – also sees significant provisions introduced to combat sexual abuse and exploitation. Two specific criminal offences will be introduced around ‘sex for rent’: offering accommodation in exchange for sexual activity, and the advertising of accommodation in exchange for sexual activity.

Separately, the Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026, to be known as Valerie's Law in memory of Valerie French who was murdered by her husband, will provide for the removal of guardianship rights from people convicted of killing their partner or the other parent of their child. This ensures that those convicted of the most serious crimes do not retain automatic legal rights over the children left behind.

The law will be known as Valerie’s Law, following the advocacy of David French who has campaigned tirelessly for a change to the law in memory of his sister Valerie who was murdered by her husband, seven years ago.

“I strongly believe guardianship when one parent kills another should not be regarded as a matter of private law to be determined between the families concerned - it must be regarded as a child protection and welfare issue.

“This legislative change is about putting the best interests of the child at the centre of the court’s decision. It will protect vulnerable children from further trauma, provide clarity for surviving family members and prevent perpetrators from maintaining control over their children’s lives. I would like to particularly commend David French for his advocacy on this important matter.”

Minister O’Callaghan added that the legislative reform focused on combatting violence against women would continue. The Minister is keenly aware of the harmful effect that extreme or violent pornography is having, particularly on young people, while distorting healthy sexual development and contributing to misogynistic attitudes.

In addition to normalising violence against women and girls, who form the vast majority of victims depicted, and contributing to a culture in which young men are led to believe that girls enjoy and expect violent sex, participants in violent or extreme pornography are often victims of human trafficking, prostitution and child sexual abuse.

“Considering the gap that exists in the legislation and the harm being done through the dissemination of this material, earlier this week I brought forward proposals to criminalise the possession, production or distribution of extreme or violent pornography, and secured Government approval to commence drafting this legislation.”

The Domestic Violence Judgments Register Act – Jennie’s Law

The new legislation inserts a Part 3A into the Domestic Violence Act 2018 and applies to convictions on indictment for serious domestic violence offences. It provides a mechanism through which relevant judgments may be published to supplement the existing means of publicity, such as through media attendance and reporting on proceedings. It does not constitute an additional form of punishment.

The trial judge will have discretion to publish a judgment in an appropriate case, which will contain details of conviction and sentence, as well as any other information relevant to the offence that the judge deems appropriate. Judgments will be published online by the Courts Service, under a specific heading of “Domestic Violence Register Judgments”.

The information will be presented in a way that is linked insofar as possible with domestic violence services, to ensure that anyone consulting the register will be directed towards appropriate supports, whether for themselves or for another person that they are concerned about.

Offenders can apply no earlier than three years after conviction for removal from the register. Any removal will be at the discretion of a court.

The register will be implemented in a broader context of preventative and protective measures, such as Operation Devise. Through Operation Devise, An Garda Síochána provides appropriate support to the potentially vulnerable new partner of individuals who have previously been connected with a domestic homicide and/or serious offences related to domestic violence, and closely monitors any evidence of further domestic violence offending against them, aiming to mitigate the risks as much as possible.

The law in this area was substantially reformed in 2017 by the insertion ofsection 19Aof the Criminal Evidence Act 1992.This was enacted to strike a balance between conflicting rights, by creating a new process whereby a victim can consent or object to the disclosure of their counselling notes, via a disclosure hearing at which s/he is legally represented.

However, it appears that in practice this provision has not operated as intended. Accordingly, section 13 of the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 provides for the amendment of the existing legislation by requiring that a disclosure hearing take place in all cases, removing the provision that allows for this to be waived.

This ensures that the original intention of the legislation will apply, mandating courts to assess the relevance of any counselling records through a judicial process which takes into account the right of the victim to privacy and the risk of re-traumatisation, while ensuring the constitutional right of an accused person to a fair trial, including access to any material of evidentiary value, is upheld.

Section 13 of the 2025 Bill also strengthens section 19A in a number of ways, by:

Provisions to criminalise ‘sex for rent’

The Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 introduces two specific criminal offences around ‘sex for rent’: offering accommodation in exchange for sexual activity and the advertising of accommodation in exchange for sexual activity.

The provisions encompass both rental agreements between landlords and tenants, and “rent-a-room” situations. It is the offer or advertisement that is being criminalised - there is no requirement to prove that sexual activity actually occurred. The proposed penalty for these offences is a Class A fine of up to €5,000.

Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026 - Valerie's Law

The Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026 will, where it is in the best interests of the child, allow for the removal of guardianship rights from individuals who have failed in their duty of care towards their child by killing the other parent or guardian of their child.

The legislation will require the Child and Family Agency to bring an application as soon as practicable after a conviction – and within six months – seeking a court order which may remove or restrict a convicted guardian’s guardianship rights. The legislation will apply in cases where one guardian killed another before commencement of the legislation and cases where one guardian seriously injured another. The court’s focus at all times is on the safety, welfare, and best interests of the child.

The child’s voice will be heard in proceedings through the appointment of a Guardian ad Litem for the child.

On 14 July, Minister O’Callaghan secured Government approval to commence drafting additional Heads of Bill for inclusion in the General Scheme of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences, Domestic Violence and International Instruments) Bill. These additional heads will introduce offences relating to the possession, production or distribution of extreme or violent pornography, and acts of necrophilia.

Minister O’Callaghan is proposing these new offences in the context of growing recognition across Europe that pornography is now one of the most influential, accessible, and commercially powerful forces negatively shaping sexual development and behaviour.

Introducing these new offences to combat the most extreme and harmful forms of pornography is just one part of a multifaceted response by the Government to this issue. The Department of Justice is working with Cuan to develop a more comprehensive, targeted and effective multi-agency, cross-sectoral response with a view to identifying additional potential actions with relevant stakeholders.

This builds on good progress in embedding awareness on the harmful effects of pornography, digital safety and consent into curriculum reform and on the development of a broader pornography literacy strategy.

Coimisiún na Meán is responsible online regulation, including implementation of the EU Digital Services Act and is implementing the Online Safety Code which places a requirement on service providers to demonstrate that they have the correct safety measures in place to prevent illegal or harmful content on their platforms.

We are delivering on the commitments in the Zero Tolerance Strategy to achieve a society where sexual violence and the toxic attitudes that fuel it, are not accepted.