Results 3,601-3,620 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Data (25 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 171 and 172 together. An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.952 billion for 2021. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff. As a result, Garda numbers are now some 14,600 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda staff nationwide. Budget 2021 will allow for the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (25 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: With regard to the specific information requested by the deputy, the Garda authorities have provided me with the information in the tables attached. The figures for 2016-2019 inclusive are complete calendar years. The figures for 2020 are for the year to date, up to and including 23rdNovember. I am informed that there is no specific incident type which can be used to identify all incidents...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Victim Support Services (25 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 174 and 175 together. My Department is currently supporting and overseeing the implementation of a uniform national domestic violence intervention programme under the Second National Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender- based Violence, 2016-2021.The roll out of this programme, entitled the Choices Programme, began in 2017. The Choices...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Stations (25 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I have requested information from the Garda Commissioner in relation to this matter and I will write to the Deputy directly when the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is at an early stage of commencing an initiative to implement social and environmental clauses in public procurement contracts. My Department has made a commitment to secure social clauses within 10% of the Department’s procurement contracts within the lifetime of the upcoming strategy, which is from 2021 to 2023. I have sought the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (25 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020, a total of 469 Deportation Orders have been issued by the Immigration Service of my Department. The enforcement of Deportation Orders is an operational matter for the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). I can assure the Deputy, that both my own Department, and the GNIB are taking a pragmatic approach in relation to the enforcement of...

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I am happy to take this opportunity to update the House on the appointment by the Government of members of the Judiciary. Over the past century, one of the great successes of the modern Irish State has been the Judiciary, which has consistently acted in a robust and independent fashion and earned the respect of fellow judges in Europe and around the world. Since I was elected to this House,...

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I do not think anybody's political persuasion should prevent him or her from being promoted or moving through the ranks of any job, whether for a judicial appointment or not. I was appointed on 27 June, which was a Saturday. On Sunday, 28 June, I came into the Department and, as is customary, I was given a huge amount of notes and information. As part of that information, I was told by my...

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I am not saying that the Tánaiste is the only person I spoke to. I am saying that he gave his view and made his opinion known. Following that, after I received other names, I looked at those names-----

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I ask the Deputy to please let me answer. It is my role, as the Minister for Justice, to make a recommendation. I made that recommendation to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Attorney General. Deputy Kenny's colleague earlier mentioned the former Minister and Deputy, Dermot Ahern. If the Deputy was to quote from his article this week, what he said...

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: What the Cabinet handbook says is that in the case of appointments to the Judiciary, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and other party leaders, the Minister for Finance and the Attorney General should be informed in advance of proposals to make such appointments and I did just that.

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I refer to my previous response that other former Ministers for Justice have very clearly said they never brought other names to the Taoiseach.

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: What I am saying is that I made a recommendation. It is my job and my role as Minister for Justice to make a recommendation. When I made that recommendation to the Taoiseach, the Taoiseach did not object. It is a long-standing practice, and has been the case for many years, that there is not just the JAAB process, there are expressions of interest from judges-----

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: Again, I can repeat what is in the Cabinet handbook. I cannot talk about what happened in a Government in which the Deputy served. As Minister for Justice, it is my job to bring forward a name and that is what I did exactly in this instance.

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: In terms of appointing a judge, again I will read out the only reference in the handbook to the appointment of judges-----

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: The only memorandum concerning judicial appointments that is referred to says that I should inform the relevant individuals that I have just outlined, namely, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Attorney General, any other party leader and, in this instance, the Minister for Finance who was informed in the esubmission that would have gone to all of the Cabinet before the appointment was made.

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: So I have adhered to the letter of the law.

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: So that is not the case. As I outlined in my earlier response, what I receive initially is an edocument, which is a draft memorandum. I received that on 6 July. After I have signed off on that, it is then adjusted to be sent to Cabinet. It has always been the case that a name itself does not even go to Cabinet; a memorandum informs colleagues that a name is going to be brought for...

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: That is my understanding, yes. That is my understanding that that is the precedent that has been set.

Judicial Appointments Process: Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Helen McEntee: I have asked my officials what is the precedent here. What I was informed is that no names went to Cabinet. Therefore, I asked the question and my officials in the Department informed me that only one name goes to Cabinet. What we have heard from many previous Ministers for Justice is that only one name ever goes to Cabinet.