Legislation to reverse ban on naming murdered children delayed by Covid-19

The Justice Minister expects the legislation to close the loophole to come before the Dáil next week but reduced sitting times have delayed progress

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said it has been difficult to progress the legislation because "the Dáil and the Seanad are not sitting as frequently as we would like because of Covid-19". File picture

Covid-19 has delayed the Justice Minister from addressing a court ruling banning the naming of murdered children.

Helen McEntee said she expects legislation to close the loophole will come before the Dáil next week but reduced sitting times because of the pandemic have delayed progress.

A court of appeal ruling made last October prevents the media from naming victims and their perpetrators. 

At the time Ms McEntee promised to move "as quickly as possible" to amend the legislation as she said the ruling is now inadvertently protecting the people "that we don't want to protect".

Ms McEntee said it has been difficult to progress the legislation but she hopes this can now be done "within a matter of weeks" and by the end of April at the very latest.

"It's been slightly difficult. The Dáil and the Seanad are not sitting as frequently as we would like because of Covid-19 and that in itself has created delays and there's lots of legislation, I'm not the only minister with legislation that I want to get through," she told RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne show.

Ms McEntee who is due to take six months of paid maternity leave from April 30, said she intends to spend the time away from her political duties caring for her child.

"I will be still a Cabinet minister, I will still receive a lot of the information that's going on." 

I will still receive Cabinet files, and obviously where I'm required or if there's an issue that I'm required to attend or to respond to I certainly will. 

"But I do intend on taking that time off to be a first time mum and to spend that time at my baby and the same goes for my constituency."

However, she said her constituency office will continue to operate and Minister Heather Humphreys along with a number of junior ministers will take on the Justice responsibilities.

She agreed that this is not a perfect solution but "short of me resigning and somebody else stepping in, this is what needs to happen now".