Results 15,341-15,360 of 17,803 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: On the 28 April 2020 my Department agreed to undertake, on behalf of the health authorities, the collection of public health passenger locator forms on a temporary administrative basis. The Border Management Unit (BMU) collect these forms at Dublin Airport, which is the principal route through which people enter the State. While the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) manage the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: The person to whom the Deputy refers was granted, on 2 June 2020, a temporary permission of two months to reside in the State under Stamp 4 conditions. I have today announced that immigration permissions, due to expire between 20 July and 20 August 2020, will be automatically extended for one month. Therefore the person referred to will now have their permission automatically extended until...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Maternity Leave (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the law now stands, a mother is entitled to paid maternity leave of up to 26 weeks, and up to a further 16 weeks of unpaid leave. Two weeks must be taken before the baby is due, and at least four weeks must be taken after the birth. Any amendment to the legislation governing the provision of maternity leave, which falls under my responsibility, would require primary legislation. As such...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Reviews (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 is being reviewed this year. This review arises under the provisions of the Act itself, and will include an assessment of the impact of the Act on the welfare of those who engage in sexual activity for payment. I recently announced the launch of this review, which will be conducted by Maura Butler as the independent expert. The Terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reviews (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, a review of Ireland’s anti-fraud and anti-corruption structures, chaired by the former DPP Mr James Hamilton, is currently examining the effectiveness of the State’s procedural, legislative and resourcing frameworks for the investigation, prosecution and prevention of fraud and corruption offences. I am advised that the Hamilton Review Group is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: An application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to on the 29 May 2019. This application is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible It is not possible to provide a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda powers in response to the Covid -19 pandemic were provided for under section 31A of the Health Act 1947, as inserted by the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 and brought temporarily into effect through subsequent regulations – the Health Act, 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Support Services (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: Parental alienation has been described as a situation when a child’s resistance or hostility towards one parent is not justified and is the result of psychological manipulation by the other parent. The issue of parental alienation is highly complex and I am aware that some professionals advocate for the classification of parental alienation as a clinical disorder affecting children,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (16 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Youth Justice Strategy (15 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Deputy’s leadership, in his term as Minister of State in my Department, in guiding the development of the new Youth Justice Strategy with the support of an expert Steering Group. As the Deputy is aware, work to develop a new Youth Justice Strategy is a very important element in the State’s policy response to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigrant Investor Programme (15 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that the Immigration Service Delivery function of my Department has received a number of endowment applications under the Immigrant Investor Programme for the organisation referred to by the Deputy. The project was recently assessed by the Independent Evaluation Committee and a decision is expected to issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Legislation (15 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126 and 127 together. First and in relation to Council Framework Decision 2008/829/JHA on the cross-border recognition of decisions on supervision measures as an alternative to provisional detention, I can inform the Deputy that transposition is well advanced through the drafting and publication of the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Decisions on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (15 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: I regret that it will not be possible to provide the data the Deputy has requested. I am informed by the Courts Service that the ability to pull together data for this PQ is dependent upon being able to isolate animal theft in their records over any other type of theft. For other offences, this is possible because the offence type has a specific code on An Garda Síochána's...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (15 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: In order to take up employment in the State, a person must be in possession of a valid employment permit or a valid green card from the Employment Permit Section of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. All non-EEA nationals who are already lawfully resident in the State and hold a valid Certificate of Registration - i.e. an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) or a GNIB Card - with...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (15 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: The records available to my Department indicate that the person referred to by the Deputy has no legal status in the State since 28 February 2018. In all cases, where persons have no permission to remain in the State, they must engage with the immigration authorities if they wish to be permitted to remain here legally. The person is advised to write to Unit 2, Residence Division, Immigration...

Maternity Leave Benefit Extension: Motion [Private Members] (14 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: The five-week extension will be introduced over two budgets.

Maternity Leave Benefit Extension: Motion [Private Members] (14 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: I move: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that the public health emergency has caused significant hardship and stress across our population, not least for parents and children, and acknowledges the issues raised by the #ExtendMaternityLeave2020 campaign established by mothers currently on maternity leave and by the National Women's...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Maternity Leave (14 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 889 to 892, inclusive, 894 to 896, inclusive, 900, 902, 904 and 913 together. As the law now stands, a mother is entitled to paid maternity leave of up to 26 weeks, and up to a further 16 weeks of unpaid leave. Two weeks must be taken before the baby is due, and at least four weeks must be taken after the birth. Any amendment to the legislation governing...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ministerial Transport (14 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: I understand it is the decision of the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána that it is appropriate for the current arrangements to remain in place for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence. As the Deputy will appreciate, it would not be appropriate to comment any further on security arrangements which are kept under ongoing review by An Garda Síochána. I have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (14 Jul 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Legal Aid Board provides legal advice and aid under the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 (“the Act”) and the Civil Legal Aid Regulations 1996-2017 (“the Regulations”). The Board delivers these services through directly employed solicitors in its network of law centres around the country and private solicitors from its private practitioner panels. Section 3(3) of the...