Criminal Law (Defence and the Dwelling) Act 2011

The provisions of the act include:

• Explicitly laying down that it is not an offence for a person in their dwelling,^{[note 1]} or who is a legal occupier in a dwelling, to use force in order to protect themselves or their property where they believe that the other person is trespassing and means to commit a crime.^[8]
• Ensuring that the castle doctrine does not apply to a member of the Garda Síochána acting in their official capacity, any person assisting a member of the Gardaí, or a person lawfully performing a function permitted by law.^[8]
• Allowing a person to stand their ground and ensuring that nothing within the act should compel them to abandon their dwelling.^[9]
• Absolving those who use force as outlined in the act to repel a trespasser of liability in tort cases arising from their actions.^[10]
• Amending Section 18 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 so as to apply the Children Act 2001 to it and to clarify other points of law.^[11]