Consultation on scheme to disregard historic convictions welcomed
by Mehak Dugal
 
Kieran also addressed the union’s equality seminar which took place on Wednesday (9th November) at the union’s headquarters in Dublin.
Kieran also addressed the union’s equality seminar which took place on Wednesday (9th November) at the union’s headquarters in Dublin.

Fórsa has welcomed the launch of a public consultation on a scheme to disregard historic convictions of gay and bisexual men.

 

Previously, a working group consisting of representatives from the Department of Justice, An Garda Síochána, the Office of the Attorney General, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and individuals from the LGBT community with expertise in this area was established to examine how this could be progressed.

 

Following that the Department of Justice published the Working Group Progress Report, which contained a number of recommendations, including the need for targeted public consultation for affected persons and representative groups.

 

LGBTQ activist and Fórsa member Kieran Rose forms part of the Department's working group to inform policy in this area. Kieran also addressed the union’s equality seminar which took place on Wednesday (9th November) at the union’s headquarters in Dublin.

 

During his presentation Kieran recognised the role of trade unions in lifting a “beleaguered minority” in the 1980’s.

 

“This was a time where the media coverage of passing of the LGPSU and ICTU motions was a very crucial milestone,” he said.

 

At the launch of the scheme last week, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee encouraged any of the affected men, their families, loved ones and the wider LGBTQ+ community to engage with this consultation so that the scheme can be mindful of their unique perspective as it progresses.

 

The criminalisation of consensual sexual acts between men in Ireland came into effect prior to the foundation of the State and remained in place until its eventual decriminalisation in 1993. This criminalisation is now widely recognised as an affront to human dignity and a significant historic injustice.

 

In 2018, the Government announced plans to bring forward proposals for a scheme to enable the expungement (or disregard) of criminal records for qualifying offences, where the sexual acts involved would now be lawful.

 

Following the consultation, the working group will prepare a summary report which will give an overview of the submissions received and to embed them in the scheme moving forward.

 

The public consultation runs online for several weeks, until 5pm on Friday, 9th December. You can take part in the online survey here.

 

 

 

 

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