Results 2,581-2,600 of 11,583 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Student Visas (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1493 and 1494 together. As a matter of long standing policy Ireland welcomes international students who wish to travel here in order to pursue a full-time course of study, thereby providing economic and other benefits to Ireland, as well of course as to the students themselves. Non-EEA national students are given an Irish immigration permission on Stamp 2...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Sector Staff (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Security clearance of persons working in sensitive areas of the civil and public service or other persons requiring access to classified information or security-sensitive locations is an important aspect of the overall security apparatus of the State. My Department administers the current system of personnel security clearance in association with An Garda Síochána, who have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Funding (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1496 and 1497 together. I am informed that the original estimate for the Justice Vote (Vote 24) under the administration subhead “policy reviews, consultancy and research” was €1,404,000 which was revised downwards in the context of the supplementary estimates process towards the end of 2024. This saving fed into the estimate of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Daylight Savings Time (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is under the remit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment. I am informed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment that the NSAI hosted Ireland’s inaugural Time & Sync Forum, on 11th February 2025, at their National Metrology Laboratory offices in Dublin in conjunction with business partners. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: My Department’s immigration service will generally only engage with individuals or groups such as solicitors, NGOs or other bodies whose bona fides have been established. Applicants for International Protection can avail of the services of the Legal Aid Board (LAB) which:provides legal assistance and advice in support of their application.advises them in relation to the completion...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I commenced the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 on 2 April 2025. The Act is largely based on the recommendations made in the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI). CoFPI recommended that Garda staff be recruited directly to An Garda Síochána, rather than the Civil Service. A central tenet of the CoFPI report was that An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Wards of Court (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in the exercise of their functions. As the Ward of Court Office falls under the remit of the Courts Service, I have referred your question to the Courts Service for their direct reply. The Courts Service also has a dedicated email...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the allocation of additional resources within An Garda Síochána, including the Garda College, is considered on an ongoing basis. The allocation of additional personnel will be considered in the context of the overall requirements of the organisation. I am further informed that there are no traffic policing unit/traffic corp posts at...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the allocation of additional resources for specialist units within An Garda Síochána, including the Garda College, is considered on an ongoing basis. The allocation of additional personnel will be considered in the context of the overall requirements of the organisation including specialist bureau and frontline operational divisions. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am informed by An Garda Síochána that Firearms Training is in place across three units in the Garda College, Garda H.Q. and the North Western Regional Headquarters, Galway. Currently there are 21 filled posts within the Firearms training unit, and 11 vacancies to be filled. Currently there is a panel of candidates created from a Firearms Instructors Competition and there...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána, and I will contact him when this is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Implementing effective border security arrangements is a priority for me, and the Programme for Government commits to developing a border security strategy to deliver stronger border security. The Border Management Unit of my Department is responsible for frontline Immigration at Dublin Airport only. Other airports and other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I recently met with representatives of the Prison Officers Association, during which a range of issues was discussed, among them the fast accrual (uniformed) single public service pension scheme for uniformed services recruited after 2013. While policy and legislative responsibility for the fast accrual scheme for officers recruited after 2013 rests in the first instance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Public sector pensions, including Garda pensions, are a matter of Government policy overseen by the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform, who have a Pensions Policy Unit for this purpose. I understand that people who joined the Public Service post-January 2013 are all members of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme which provides for pension benefits based on career average...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1509, 1510, 1512 and 1513 together. It has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time available. I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust and rules based, and that our borders are protected. Legal advice and representation for people in the international protection process in Ireland is provided by the Legal Aid Board (LAB) where required. It is the statutory, independent, body responsible for the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Alcohol Sales (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy will appreciate, I cannot provide an interpretation of legislation, or deal in hypotheticals. The sale and supply of alcohol products in licensed premises is subject to specific conditions set out in the Licensing Acts 1833 to 2018. Section 32 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1988 provides for a prohibition on the purchase, provision, or consumption of intoxicating liquor by a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: In the interest of transparency, figures related to the Garda workforce are published on my Department's website. This information is supplied by An Garda Síochána, is operational and subject to change. The latest date for which figures are available is the end of February 2025. These figures are regularly updated by my Department, upon receipt of the information from the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Reviews (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: In accordance with section 27 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, the review looked at: (a) information as to the number of arrests and convictions in respect of offences under section 7A of the Act of 1993 since commencement of that section, and (b) an assessment of the impact of the operation of that section on the safety and well-being of persons who engage in sexual activity...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Reviews (29 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy is aware, my Department commissioned an independent consultant to undertake the statutory review of Part 4 of Sexual Offences Act 2017 but, for a number of reasons, it was not possible for the review to be completed within the desired timeframe. The draft report provided to my Department by the original independent reviewer was incomplete and had not met the terms of...