Speech by Taoiseach Micheál Martin 50-year anniversary of the appointment of the first Director of Public Prosecutions

Thursday, 27 March 2025

Iveagh House, St Stephen’s Green

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Director of Public Prosecutions, Catherine Pierse;

Employees of the Office of the DPP; distinguished guests;

Ladies and gentlemen.

It is a great pleasure to be here this evening in beautiful Iveagh House for the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the appointment of the first Director of Public Prosecutions in Ireland.

While it is a golden jubilee for the position of Director, we also mark the jubilee of her Office which has a team of over 260 professional and dedicated employees.

It is fitting, while we celebrate this special anniversary, that the occasion also be marked by the launch of a book that recounts ‘The History of the Office of the DPP: 1975-2025’.

At the outset, I would like to pay tribute to all of those who have contributed to the book - be it through the research, insights, memories or perspectives - who have made this publication possible.

Indeed, I understand that there was collaboration with the National Archives, along with Dr. Niamh Howlin from UCD Sutherland School of Law, who was commissioned by your office to write it.

It’s an insightful book. It is timely. It captures key events in the story of the Office since its foundation.

The book shines a light on the Office’s many challenges, milestones and ultimately its place at the heart of Ireland’s criminal justice system. It represents a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the Office over its 50-year history.

First and foremost, this evening is an opportunity to thank and commend Catherine and everyone who has worked in the Office of the DPP – both past and present – for the significant strides you have made in the development of an independent and transparent Office of Director of Public Prosecutions in our country.

The mission of the Office of the DPP is to deliver a fair, independent and effective prosecution service on behalf of all the people of Ireland, a mission underpinned by your core values of integrity, excellence, respect and collegiality.

It is clear that you live these values every day and are strongly motivated by the vital service you provide to the public and, in particular, to victims of crime.

In a time when well established and once respected legal, societal and international norms seem under siege from many quarters, the principles and instincts represented by this office and the people who inhabit it could not be more valuable, or more important to pay tribute to.

The first DPP was none other than the late great and very gregarious, Eamonn Barnes. He was appointed at another time of uncertainty and instability, with violence raging intensely in the North.

He came into post following the passing of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974 and served as Director until his retirement in September 1999. Eamonn Barnes was a great public servant. He made independence the hallmark of his new Office.

In so doing he created a prosecutorial service of the highest standards. And today it is unique in its role and responsibilities.

As I say, the Office of the DPP was established against the backdrop of violence in Northern Ireland. Then, the economic challenges of the 1980s made it difficult to take on additional responsibilities, but that changed from the 1990s onwards.

Eamonn Barnes was succeeded by James Hamilton in 1999. James brought a great public awareness to the work of the Office. Later, Claire Loftus succeeded him.

Claire prioritised engagement with victims’ groups. She also fostered collaboration with many different agencies such as the Forensic Science Laboratory and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety.

In 2007, responsibility for the State Solicitor service transferred from the Attorney General. And the same year a new Prosecution Policy Unit was established to develop policies in relation to the new legislation.

In 2008, a Special Financial Crime Unit was set up and very significant legal responses were adopted, leading to many new prosecutions and convictions in the financial sector and elsewhere.

Employees of the Office of the DPP have also provided expert advice to a wide array of State agencies. I know, for example, employees were seconded from your Office to the Revenue Commissioners over the years to provide legal advice on investigations and subsequent prosecutions.

You have also participated in a wide range of working groups across the public service. Indeed, I believe that the good working relationships between the Office of the DPP and government departments has been pivotal to its success.

And of course, the DPP has also maintained a good relationship with the legal professions’ representatives such as the Law Society and the Bar Council.

Some decades ago, the Nally Report made many recommendations on the future of the DPP’s Office.

One such recommendation was that a new unit be set up for research, statistics, planning, library and information technology. Your electronic file management and tracking system resulted from this. It was a mammoth task which took account of no less than 17,000 files a year. It was a remarkable organisational feat which reflects extremely well on the dedication and professionalism of all involved.

I know too that the DPP’s Office had to engage new employees and counsel following the opening of the new Criminal Courts of Justice complex in 2010, due to the rise in the number of sitting courts.

Criminal judicial reviews have been another area of your expanding workload. Indeed, in 2013, you set up a dedicated judicial review section in the Solicitors Division to deal with this growing area.

In 2015, yet another important milestone was reached with the opening of the Communications and Victims Liaison Unit.

And in 2021 the Office began the first phase of a special Sexual Offences Unit to better handle very sensitive and complex cases.

Catherine, your role in helping to build collaboration with other criminal justice partners over the years has been hugely influential in bringing about improvements for people who use the criminal justice system, including victims and accused individuals.

One area where it has been crucial is in response to technological change. In this digital age, electronic data collection has provided a vast amount of evidence, providing greater certainty in solving serious crimes.

Similarly, the advances in DNA identification and other forensic science capabilities. In that context, this Office’s relationship with the Forensic Science Laboratory and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety has been particularly important.

Cé nach ndéantar ach líon beag cásanna cúirte a reáchtáiltear trí mheán na Gaeilge, is cúis áthais dom go bhfuil tionchar ag Acht na dTeangacha Oifitiúla 2003, chomh fad agus is féidir, ar chaighdeán níos airde seirbhísí poiblí trí Ghaeilge a éascú in Oifig an Stiúrthóra Ionchúiseamh Poiblí agus go bhfuil Oifigeach Gaeilge ceaptha agaibh.

In more recent times, both Brexit and COVID-19 presented significant challenges to your work. As in many organisations, remote working was undertaken for the first time in 2020. Jury trials were almost impossible for a time and your Office had to deal with the long backlogs in the Courts system that ensued.

Again, the spirit of public service, professionalism and willingness to innovate has seen you through this challenge.

Indeed, that summary of how you managed the challenge of COVID could be used to summarise the story of the Office of the DPP over the last half century.

I once again want to congratulate Dr. Niamh Howlin for her hard work in capturing that story.

You have produced a very fine overview of the workings of the Office and the process of innovation and change that has brought us to this point.

As in all organisations, the people that drive them are at the mercy of time and tide. It is really important therefore to record, for posterity, the evolution of an office like that of the DPP, given its role at the very heart of the Irish judicial system and society.

There is no doubt that the Office of the DPP has played a pivotal role in our criminal justice system over the last five decades, and will continue to do so.

The government I lead is committed to prioritising investment across the justice system, including in An Garda Síochána, the Courts, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the prisons and the Probation Service.

In addition to our investment commitments, our Programme for Government also commits us to a range of initiatives including a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system with a view to improving efficiency, removing blockages, cutting waiting times, and making sure that the administration of justice in Ireland remains in good health for the years and decades to come.

I will conclude by re-affirming the support of this government for the work of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and indeed for the work of the many participants of the broader criminal justice system represented here this evening – the courts, judges, Gardaí, probation service, and the many investigative agencies and support services.

What you do is crucially important work and central to the health and resilience of our society. I pay tribute to it and I thank you for it.

It is essential for the rule of law and for the safety of our communities that people who live in this country can have faith in the administration of justice and can have confidence that every criminal complaint will be dealt with fairly, and effectively and independently – without fear of influence or prejudice.

I would like to commend you all again and wish you the very best as the next 50 years of the Office of the DPP begins.

Well done and thank you.