United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment CAT/C/IRL/CO/2 Distr.: General 31 August 2017 Original: English Committee against Torture Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Ireland* 1. The Committee against Torture considered the second periodic report of Ireland (CAT/C/IRL/2) at its 1548th and 1551st meetings (see CAT/C/SR.1548 and 1551), held on 27 and 28 July 2017, and adopted the following concluding observations at its 1565th and 1566th meetings, held on 9 and 10 August 2017. A. Introduction 2. The Committee welcomes the timely submission of the second periodic report and the dialogue with the State party’s delegation and the oral and written replies provided to the concerns raised by the Committee. B. Positive aspects 3. The Committee welcomes the State party’s accession to and ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, in September 2014. 4. The Committee also welcomes the following measures taken by the State party since the examination of the previous report: (a) The adoption of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 and the merger of the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority to create the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission as the country’s national human rights institution, on 1 November 2014; (b) The adoption of the Criminal Justice (Community Service) (Amendment) Act, providing, inter alia, for community service as an alternative to imprisonment, on 1 October 2011; the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Act, replacing the Probation of Offenders Act 1907, in February 2014; the Fines (Payments and Recovery) Act, which considerably reduced the female prison population, on 16 April 2014; and the implementation of the Community Return Programme, providing for earned and early temporary release in return for supervised community service, including within the context of the Joint Irish Prison Service/Probation Service Strategic Plan 2015-2017; (c) The adoption of the Children (Amendment) Act 2015, repealing legislation that permitted the detention of children in adult prison facilities, and the closing of St. Patrick’s Institution for the detention of juveniles following the signing on 30 March 2017 * Adopted by the Committee at its sixty-first session (24 July-11 August 2017). GE.17-15164(E) 

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