Ireland to apply to be part of EU measures combating human trafficking – Irish Examiner

The proposal is designed to “strengthen the ability to combat crimes related to human trafficking and to harmonise human trafficking rules across EU member states”, a Government spokesperson said.

The updated rules under the proposal will allow authorities to investigate and prosecute exploitation, introducing new mandatory offences against companies for trafficking offences, and create a European referral mechanism to improve early identification of victims and provide support.

Specific measures include defining forced marriage and illegal adoption as human trafficking under member states' domestic law, making it a criminal offence to knowingly use services provided by victims of trafficking, and imposing mandatory sanctions against legal persons held accountable for trafficking offences, amongst others.

Mr Harris also received approval for Ireland to extend existing EU-wide measures on sharing of passenger information, currently used for illegal immigration, to the new area of terrorist offences and serious crime.

Ireland will take part in the proposal for a regulation on the collection and transfer of advance passenger information for the “prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime”.

Advance passenger information refers to passenger information such as name, date of birth, gender, citizenship, passport number, and flight number, as well as arrival and departure times. This data is currently processed primarily for border management purposes and for countering illegal immigration under the terms of an EU directive, but would be extended to terrorism and serious crime.

FSPO legislation

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Michael McGrath received Cabinet approval to amend legislation around the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) due to a Supreme Court ruling.

Under the Zelewski ruling, the FPSO could be considered by the Supreme Court to be a legislative body, a Department of Finance spokesperson said, necessitating legal changes. Mr McGrath has proposed amendments which include clarifying the role of the FSPO when dealing with complaints against financial service providers who have since left the Irish market and are no longer regulated.

Cabinet was also presented with the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) report, Understanding the Irish Economy in a Time of Turbulence, which “encourages the policy system to take a medium- to longer-term view of Ireland's economic progress”.