The Minister for Justice is asking for the public's views on plans to disregard historic convictions of gay and bisexual men.
Helen McEntee is encouraging affected men, their families, loved ones, and the wider LGBTQ+ community to engage with the public consultation.
Minister McEntee, said “We want to ensure that any potential scheme is as effective and accessible as possible so that we can exonerate those impacted by these outdated laws and address some of the lingering harms of the past. I would encourage any of the affected men, their families, loved ones and the wider LGBTQ+ community to engage with this consultation so that we can be mindful of their unique perspectives as we move forward.”
📢Minister @HMcEntee opens consultation on scheme to disregard historic convictions of gay and bisexual men.
✍️The public consultation gives affected people & groups an opportunity to inform the scheme's development.
📅 Closing Date: 9 December 2022
🔗 https://t.co/fawUq7TaGa pic.twitter.com/UV8CDNe23q— Department of Justice 🇮🇪 (@DeptJusticeIRL) November 4, 2022
The Department of Justice is appealing for people to contribute their 'lived experience' on a number of key issues.
The seven question survey, will ask how a potential scheme could be made more accessible, encourage participation, and minimise potential re-traumatising of applicants.
The responses will inform the final recommendations of a Working Group which is looking at developing of a scheme to disregard convictions for consensual sexual activity between men, prior to decriminalisation in 1993.
The public consultation is open until 5pm on Friday 9 December.
