Results 2,821-2,840 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Alienation (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The issue of parental alienation is highly complex. While there is no specific legislative provision regarding parental alienation in Irish family law, section 246 of the Children Act 2001 provides for an offence of frightening, bullying or threatening a child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to the child's physical, mental or emotional health or wellbeing....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders Treatment Programme (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I understand there can be concerns on the part of communities when it comes to the issue of rehabilitation of sex offenders and protection of public safety. First it is important to note that there are already provisions in existing law in relation to the management of sex offenders after they have been released from prison. The Sex...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Commission on the Future of Policing (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I would like to assure the Deputy that the implementation of the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI) is a key priority for me as Minister for Justice. This opinion is shared by my colleagues across Government, and our commitment to implementation is reflected in the new Programme for Government - Our Shared Future. The Deputy will be aware that in September...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that proactively tackling all forms of drug crime is a priority for An Garda Síochána. The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) is having significant success in disrupting drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs by organised crime groups. Its work is supported by Divisional Drugs Units nationwide, and by all Gardaí working...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Probation and Welfare Service (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Probate Office is an office of the High Court and management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998. The Courts Service has received a €10 million increase in its capital budget in 2020, which has given additional flexibility for strategic infrastructural investment including in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Consular Services (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on any matter which may be the subject of legal proceedings now or in the future. By way of assisting the Deputy with some information of general relevance, the International Child Abduction Unit is the Central Authority within my Department that provides assistance to parents and guardians of children who have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Female Genital Mutilation (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be glad to know that female genital mutilation has been an offence in Ireland since 2012. The Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012, sponsored by the Minister for Health, made female genital mutilation and offence and created related offences. Addressing this serious issue in Ireland falls primarily under the remit of my colleague, Minister for Health,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Controls (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 169 and 170 together. Section 5 of the Immigration Act 2003 (as amended by the International Protection Act 2015), contains the main provisions dealing with the detention of persons refused leave to land. It specifies that a person to whom this section applies may be arrested by an immigration officer or a member of An Garda Síochána and detained in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Social Media Monitoring (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the spread of Covid-19 is unprecedented in almost every aspect for every sector, both private and public, and this includes communications. A key objective of Government throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has been to be able to provide regular updates in uncertain times to the public. As part of my Department’s initial response to the Covid-19...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Citizenship Division of the Immigration Service of my Department are accepting new applications. As part of the application form, a copy of the applicant's current IRP (GNIB) card is required and must be submitted. The one and two month periods of automatic renewals of immigration permissions announced during the pandemic will count as reckonable residence for citizenship purposes...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Strength (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management and control of An Garda Síochána. This includes responsibility for the allocation of all Garda resources and I, as Minister, have no role in these matters. However the Garda authorities have informed me that the allocation of resources is kept under continuous review, in light of crime trends and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Covid-19 Pandemic (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.88 billion for 2020, as well as capital funding of over €116 million this year. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff and as a result, An Garda Síochána is a growing organisation with approximately 14,700 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that community-based CCTV is governed by section 38(3)(c) of Garda Síochána Act 2005 and the Garda Síochána (CCTV) Order 2006. This legal framework requires that any proposed community CCTV scheme must: - be approved by the local Joint Policing Committee, - have the prior support of the relevant local authority, which must also act as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible by law for the management of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources.  As Minister, I have no responsibility for these matters.  I am assured however that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of emerging crime...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Eligibility (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Citizenship Division of the Immigration Service Delivery function of my Department requested further documentation from the person concerned on 31 August 2020. On receipt of the requested documentation, the application for naturalisation will be fully considered with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The person referred to is the subject of a Deportation Order made on 1 February 2019. The effect of a Deportation Order is that the person named on the Order is legally obliged to leave the State and to remain outside of the State. The enforcement of the Deportation Order is an operational matter for the Garda National Immigration Bureau. Representations were received on behalf of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The person referred to is the subject of a Deportation Order made on 20 June 2002, and therefore has no entitlement to residency in the State. Representations were received on behalf of the person concerned pursuant to Section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), to revoke the Deportation Order. Following the consideration of those representations, a decision was taken that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Direct Provision system has provided accommodation, food, healthcare and other essential needs for more than 65,000 people since its inception some twenty years ago. While it ensures that these basic needs are met, the intervening years have shown that people claiming international protection need a system that is responsive to their individual needs and that fully respects...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Criminal Assets Bureau (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a multi-agency statutory body established under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996.  The Bureau’s remit is to target a person's assets, wherever situated, which derive, or are suspected to derive, directly or indirectly, from criminal conduct. Since its inception, the Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: For clarity, I wish to inform the House that it is not the case that there are more than 4,000 Gardaí currently off duty due to injuries received in the course of their work. I am informed by the Garda authorities that the most recent figure, as of August 2020, is 155 Gardaí. As the Deputy will be aware, in May 2017, the Government published the General Scheme of the Garda...