Results 241-260 of 10,120 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I will go through the rest of the Votes now. Vote 24, concerning my Department, has a gross Estimate provision of €2.723 billion. The Revised Estimate for this Vote was already approved in April, and the purpose today is to agree the further Revised Estimate for the Department’s Vote. The further Revised Estimate for the Department reflects the transfer of responsibility...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: That is no problem. The Deputy did not.

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Yes. We enacted legislation last year, the Family Courts Act 2024. An implementation body is in place to ensure that what is set out in the legislation is implemented. It is not within that funding, but once the report of the implementation body comes to me and sets out how we need to implement the changes made under the Family Courts Act, there will be funding available for that in...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: A huge project that has been spoken about for many years, and I am determined to see it commence, is Hammond Lane, which will be the new family law courts for the Dublin area. At present, if you go by Dolphin House, you will see people out on the streets in totally inappropriate conditions trying to deal with their family law disputes. Most people do not end up going to court but the one...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I know. I am well aware of it. I have met the Bar Council. It is in the programme for Government that we will reinstate the cuts that were made to the criminal legal aid scheme. I have contacted Ministers and said this should be done. I will not say it is above my pay grade but it involves alignment and agreement with other Departments. It is something that is in the programme for...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Yes, I agree. I will be signing the regulations in respect of the community safety partnerships very shortly but €9.5 million has been allocated in budget 2025 for the office to support community safety partnerships and the community safety fund. The fund, totalling €4 million in 2025, directs proceeds from the Criminal Assets Bureau. It is an extremely important part of...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It would be applying for the funds. That is what is there at present, whereby you apply for funds in terms of assets from the Criminal Assets Bureau. Local projects make their applications in respect of it.

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: No.

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am sure if I could revert and reintroduce the pension that existed prior to 2013 it would make the job more attractive. I do not think there is any doubt about that, but there are limitations in what the Government and I can do. There were reasons that pension changed in 2013. It is going to cost a very significant sum to change that because we cannot just change it in respect of...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: -----in very many old buildings, there is asbestos. The asbestos becomes a problem when somebody starts knocking down the building. Simply because there is an old building that has asbestos does not mean it is a threat to somebody's health. It can be a threat to health if the building is knocked down. Obviously, there have to be very careful measures put in place in respect of that. ...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The last part is about the allocation of gardaí. The Deputy is right, in that I do not intervene in determining where gardaí go when they come out of Templemore, but I want him to know that, as well as those gardaí, gardaí are allocated to different places around the country after they have been attested and in the force for a period of time. There are transfers that go...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Yes.

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is an important issue. Regarding training, gardaí get good training down in Templemore. As with teachers, we cannot expect gardaí to solve every societal problem. As to how this scheme will operate, the proposal is that it will try to divert people with addiction issues away from the criminal justice system and towards the health system. The Deputy may disagree with me, but...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am wary of saying it but I have funding for 1,000 new gardaí each year. I am not going to go around to people saying we probably will not recruit 1,000. Deputy Kelly knows what I am saying.

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Deputy.

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Will I go through the rest?

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I agree with the Deputy. It is a dangerous thing for any person to be looking at a phone. Whatever about being on the phone, looking at stuff on the screen and being on the phone are highly dangerous things to do. It is important that the message gets out there. Deaths are caused by it. Momentarily, people stop concentrating and are looking at something and, before they know it, they are...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: We have significantly increased funding for public order policing over the past year. We have invested in a water cannon and further fleets. It is costing us money for public order policing. As the Deputy is recognising, however, we need to recognise the right of people to protest. If we look at the weekend, the Garda did a very good job. There were two ongoing protests. One was a group...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I will ask them about that. We will try to see how much is devoted to policing protests.