Results 4,901-4,920 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department. A request for further documentation was made to the person concerned on 15 May 2023. Once the Citizenship division of my Department has received these documents, processing of the application can resume with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: Immigration officials of my Department have checked their records and advised that they cannot locate any applications for the people cited in the details supplied by the Deputy. However, if the Deputy can provide any additional information via my Department's Oireachtas mail facility, I will arrange for a further response to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 208, 214 and 217 together. As the Deputy will be aware the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the allocation of resources, such as Garda members. As Minister I have no role in these matters. I have been assured by the Garda authorities that the Commissioner keeps...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 210 together. As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána including all human resource matters and recruitment. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. For the Deputy's information, and in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Gangland Crime (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: I can assure the Deputy that tackling organised crime activity is the overriding priority for An Garda Síochána and the Government. The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business by law, and that I, as Minister, have no role in operational policing matters. We should not underestimate the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: The provision of education and training is key to reducing recidivism. The Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative and educational programmes that offer purposeful activity to people while serving sentences and encourage them to lead law abiding lives on release, in order to prevent recidivism. These programmes are available in all prisons and everyone in custody is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 215 together. As the Deputy was previously advised, and as I am sure the Deputy appreciates, the restricting of a person’s liberty is a serious issue, given the Constitutional presumption that a person is deemed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. While the State’s bail laws do provide for the refusal of bail in certain...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Gangland Crime (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, which includes the recording of incidents/crime data on the Garda PULSE system. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions. I am advised by the Garda authorities that membership of a 'criminal gang' is not recorded on PULSE and therefore the data...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reviews (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, a detailed application for posthumous Presidential pardons for Mr. Sylvester Poff and Mr. James Barrett was submitted by theCastleisland District Heritage incorporating the Michael O’Donohue Memorial Project in December 2021. The application has completed an internal review within the Department, and I have approved a proposal to engage an independent...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics. The CSO produces these statistics using data recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE system and makes regular releases under reservation in relation to various crime statistics. The CSO also continues...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to progression. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Data Protection (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: No software applications from Meta Platforms i.e. Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp, are contained in the work container of my Department's corporate smart phones. All my Department's official mobile devices and the apps which run on them comply with the guidance provided by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). This guidance is based on risk assessments appropriate to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: Carlow College, St. Patrick's (Carlow College) is a privately run education institution operating outside the publicly funded higher education system. The Higher Education Authority Act of 2022 was signed by the President on 12 October, 2022 and the majority of the sections of the Act were commenced on 10th November, via Statutory Instrument No. 554 of 2022. The Higher Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (25 May 2023)

Simon Harris: Scaffolding as a skill has been long recognised as an integral component of the construction industry’s suite of trades. The Safety, Health & Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 require that certain construction workers carrying out safety critical tasks must complete Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) training. On successful completion, workers are...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Missing Persons (24 May 2023)

Simon Harris: It is vital we gather information on unidentified remains that lie within the State and that we put in place a system whereby they can be identified. The families of missing persons require and deserve closure. The forum, comprising representatives of the Coroners Society of Ireland, the Garda and Forensic Science Ireland, which are agencies the Deputy referenced, will continue its valuable...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Missing Persons (24 May 2023)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Burke for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity to provide clarity and some views on the issue. I also want to thank him for and acknowledge his ongoing work and interest in the area. His Private Member's Bill had a positive impact in terms some legislative change in Ireland. I would like to begin by acknowledging the families of missing persons,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (24 May 2023)

Simon Harris: The Certificate of Naturalisation was issued to the person cited by the Deputy on 19 May 2023.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (24 May 2023)

Simon Harris: I understand that this is a difficult situation for our Afghan community and their loved ones and would like to take this opportunity to assure them that my Department is processing applications under the Afghan Admissions Programme (AAP) as quickly as possible. To ensure as many people as possible can avail of this important programme my Department have been liaising with representatives...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (24 May 2023)

Simon Harris: Data on the numbers of beneficiaries of the Afghan Admission Programme (AAP) who have entered the State or registered is not collected by my Department. Through engagement with Afghan community groups, such as the Afghan Council and NGOs we are aware that beneficiaries of the Afghan Admission Programme are arriving in Ireland. Once beneficiaries of the AAP are in the State, they are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (24 May 2023)

Simon Harris: The rationale for the introduction of the offence of coercive control in section 39 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 was to take account of the reality that behaviours in a domestic setting that involve emotional abuse, humiliation and fear can be as harmful to victims as physical abuse, as they are an abuse of the unique trust associated with an intimate relationship. Creating a...