Results 40,041-40,060 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department is taking all necessary steps to manage the international protection process fairly, efficiently and effectively, as part of the broader Government response, while ensuring the integrity of Ireland's rules-based immigration system is maintained. Overall, my Department is working to minimise the timeframe for receiving a decision on an international protection application,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Protection (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: The Programme for Government commits to ‘recognise the domestic and international importance of data protection in Ireland’ and states that the Government ‘will ensure that Ireland delivers on its responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulation’. The Government is very conscious of the commitment to deliver effective data protection regulation and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy may be aware, for reasons relating to applicant confidentiality, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for international protection has been made in the State. An applicant for such protection status, or their legal representative, should contact either the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware the Government will establish a statutory agency with a dedicated focus on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: In order to work in Ireland all non-EEA Nationals, unless they are exempted, must hold a valid Employment Permit. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) administers the Employment Permits system. Not all non-EEA Nationals are visa required. The granting of an employment permit by DETE is not the sole determining factor as to whether a visa will subsequently be granted by...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: 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 the purchase, allocation, and effective and efficient use of Garda vehicles. As Minister, I have no role in these matters. I am however advised by the Garda authorities that the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Funding (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: I wish to advise the Deputy that funding to two organisations was suspended by my Department in the years 2019 to 2022 and to date in 2023 due to concerns around governance. Funding of €45,021 to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) was suspended between April 2019 and April 2020. This funding was provided from the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund which transferred to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Advertising (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: It has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly when the information is available.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Staff (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: The Communications and Engagement Unit in my Department is made up of 13 staff who work on Media Relations; Social Media, Digital Creative, and Internal Communications, Events and Stakeholder Engagement. The current composition of staff in the unit is as outlined in the table below with all staff paid in accordance with civil service salary scales and relevant public service pay agreements....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reports (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: The Judicial Planning Working Group (JPWG) Report was submitted to the Minister for Justice on 6 January 2023 and will be published shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Programmes (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, I obtained approval from the Government to close the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) to further applications from 15 February 2023. The Immigrant Investor Programme was established over a decade ago during a time of unprecedented economic difficulty to stimulate investment in Ireland that would be of strategic and public benefit to the State. Since its inception,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: As previously advised, the application for the person referred to by the Deputy was received by the Undocumented Unit of my Department on 10 February 2022 and continues to be processed. Due to the large number of applications on hand it is not possible to provide a definitive timeframe for a decision to issue. The processing times of applications will vary depending on the complexity of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ukraine War (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: The EU Temporary Protection Directive was activated by the EU Council in March 2022 in response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The Council Decision to activate the Directive places specific obligations on Ireland and on all EU Member States, including the duration of the temporary protection to be awarded and the State supports and services that the beneficiary should be entitled...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (21 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: The Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill was formally published in January of 2023 and is based on the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI) report. As the Deputy may be aware, the CoFPI report recommended that Garda staff be recruited directly to An Garda Síochána, rather than the Civil Service. A central tenet of the CoFPI...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: Funding allocated to technological university (TU) projects and programmes under the Revised Estimates for 2023 totals some €41.92 million and includes the TU Regional Research Development and Innovation Integration Programme to be co-funded annually under the European Regional Development Fund in the period to 2027 and the TU Transformation Fund Education and Training Reforms...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Qualifications Recognition (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: The Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 imposes a statutory obligation on Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to assist learners who are affected by either the cessation of a programme of education and training or the non-commencement of a programme where a learner has paid programme fees. Planning is underway to replace the statutory arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: The information in respect of state bodies within the scope of the Deputy’s question is being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Lobbying Reform (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that no senior staff members of my Department are also on the boards of bodies registered for lobbying purposes under the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015, or on the board of bodies which have had to disclose that they engaged in lobbying State authorities. Any intention to issue directions on the appropriateness of any involvement in these bodies is a matter for DPER. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Staff (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defines employee turnover as the proportion of employees who leave an organisation over a set period (often on a year-on-year basis), expressed as a percentage of total workforce numbers. The table below sets out the turnover of officers and the percentage of staff which this represents within my Department for 2020, 2021 and 2022....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Freedom of Speech (22 Feb 2023)

Simon Harris: Minister McEntee published the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill last October which addresses both incitement to hatred or violence and hate crime. Once enacted the Bill will criminalise any intentional or reckless communication or behaviour that is likely to incite violence or hatred against a person or persons because they are associated with a...