Results 4,801-4,820 of 16,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Yes, I think it is feasible but it will require increased levels of staffing. These increased levels will be required not just in the first-instance decisions, because this context includes appeals as well, so we will need to ensure our appeals processing is more efficient than it is now. This will also require an investment in people to allow us to be able to carry out these procedures....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It is. All this will require resources and an increase in the capacity of our overall system. We have more than doubled the number of people working in the International Protection Office in the last two years. The intention would be to increase it at the same level in the two intervening years between now and when the pact officially comes into play in 2026.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: A system is in place whereby we would need, for example, to apply a percentage of the border procedure requirement in that time. I think the figure is 1,746. Beyond that, we do not have to apply the 12-week period. Obviously, though, we want to ensure that as many people as possible going through that procedure are processed in that time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The challenge has been to make sure that what has been agreed will work. This is why we have been debating it for some time. There are member states under significantly more pressure than other countries. I have mentioned Italy, Cyprus and Greece. What we are placing on them is a significant onus to process a significant number of people who will be coming into Europe or who are already...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: With regard to the UK, Deputy Farrell is correct that we have an open border. The UK is no longer in the EU. We have agreements in place that mirror much of what we are discussing with regard to the pact, in particular with regard to returns. A significant number of people applying for asylum here have come through the UK. We have had a challenge in recent weeks with a High Court ruling...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Through engagement when somebody is given a decision much more quickly, we are much more likely to know whether the person is leaving and they will communicate this to us. We can check that. In years gone by, because it took so long to go through these processors, people disappeared out of the system. What we do, and have been doing, is carry out checks to look at whether people are still...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It will not cede our sovereignty. When we signed up to the Lisbon treaty it was made clear that issues relating to security and migration would be a European competence. Ireland agreed and negotiated that there would be an opt-in measure. For any of these types of measures for security and policing, and many of the measures we have discussed in the committee and in the Houses, we make a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: All of it will be done through primary legislation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: If this is to be voted through, then, for the next two years there will be full engagement on the legislation. We will have to go through the normal process in developing that legislation and there will be full and significant engagement with the committee and with both Houses as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Why would we not opt into the pact? That is my question here. We have seen-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The suggestion there is that we would not opt in but would try to replicate what other countries are doing by not opting in but where we are still bound by the previous opt-ins. When it comes to the Dublin III regulation, if we do not opt into the new system of returns, we are still bound by the Dublin III regulation which is a less efficient system. If we do not opt in to faster...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: On the faster processing, in particular, if we do not opt in, we would not have access to significant funds. Funding is available specifically through the agency which, again, we opted in to joining just last year. That could amount to tens of millions of euro by the time it is divided up. Again, to my earlier point, €34 million in the last year or so allowed us to increase our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Dublin III regulation does not work because we can request a country to take back people and the country can then deliberate as to whether or not it believes it is the first country of origin and can frustrate the system. Once it goes beyond the six months, it is impossible to return somebody. That is why it has not worked. There have been a small number but in recent years we have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: There was absolutely no pressure here. We have been part and parcel of negotiating this. All seven measures benefit Ireland, so there is no reason we would not. We have the opt-in option, the decision was taken and it benefits us.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Any amendment I would bring to Cabinet would go to the Attorney General's office and no issues have been raised. Also, this has been in the public domain since 2016 and at no stage has any legal issue been raised.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: We do not share legal advice. There is nothing I would bring to Cabinet in regard to legislation or a proposal that would not be constitutional. The Attorney General would raise concerns if anything was being brought forward that was unconstitutional. There is nothing unconstitutional-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It was received from my own legal teams but also from the Attorney General, which is the main source of legal advice for the Department.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: We cannot share the Attorney General's advice but in terms of my own legal teams who work to draft the legislation, there is nothing at issue. If it is the case that somebody can tell me or if it can be presented how these measures would in any way impede our constitutional rights or our sovereignty, that is not a problem, but again, this has not been raised nor has it been flagged as an issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It is always the case that in any legislation there are potential challenges. In my tenure as Minister, I have amended laws on a number of occasions based on High Court rulings where the court has identified that there are issues. As we develop the legislation, there is nothing being highlighted as a significant concern. As I said, all the measures benefit Ireland. We are trying to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: No.