Results 4,341-4,360 of 7,312 for speaker:James Browne

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank the Senators for their comments. As I have made clear throughout the debate on the Bill, we do not intend to criminalise people who are being smuggled, and I think that extends properly to parents travelling with their children, for example. I believe that, as it stands, that would fall under humanitarian assistance. I appreciate that Senator Higgins and I differ on that being...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank the Senators for their proposals. Amendments Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, and 11 are similar in that they would effectively reframe the humanitarian assistance defence as being elements of the offence and accordingly it would be for the prosecution to prove the contrary. Amendment No. 10 provides for a bar to prosecution under similar circumstances. The question of where the burden of...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank the Senators. I will speak to amendments Nos. 16 and 17 together because they are closely related. I acknowledged in our discussions in the House last week that there is a fine line between people smuggling and human trafficking. The Senator made some poignant points about the difficulties the most vulnerable people face when seeking safe passage for themselves and their loved...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank Senators for their engagement on this matter. I look forward to engaging further regarding some of those issues.

Seanad: EU Regulations: Motion (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank the Senators for agreeing to debate this motion at relatively short notice. I request the House to approve Ireland’s opting into a new proposal on facilitating the use of financial and other information for the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of certain criminal offences. Ireland has an option, provided for in Article 3.1 of Protocol 21 annexed to the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank the Senators for their comments. As I made clear when discussing the previous group of amendments in respect of family members, we do not intend to criminalise people who are being smuggled. However, given how the offences are already phrased, I do not believe a blanket provision is necessary as it would tend to create more uncertainty.The issue is that the bar for someone being...

Seanad: EU Regulations: Motion (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank Senators Ward, Boyhan, Gallagher, Boylan, Sherlock and Martin for their contributions. Unfortunately, under the protocol there is only ever a three-month window for opting in, and passing it requires a recommendation to the Government, Government approval and passage in both Houses. I regret that it will always be a tight timeline in dealing with options for the protocol. I thank...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: This application for a certificate of naturalisation continues to be 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 in due course. The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: The person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 1G Graduate permission, which has been extended until 15 January 2022, under the final automatic extension of immigration permissions I announced on 15 September 2021. A Stamp 1G indicates that a person has permission to look for employment in the State under the Third Level Graduate Programme. The Stamp 1G is granted for 12 months to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 201 together. My Department continued to accept and process immigration and citizenship applications throughout the pandemic. As the Deputy will appreciate, the figures for 2020 and to date in 2021, reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the demand for and processing of applications. The processing timeline for standard applications has...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (20 Oct 2021)

James Browne: As outlined to the Deputy in my reply to Parliamentary Question no. 428, my Department is aware that there have been issues in the past around the securing of registration appointments. My Department has continually introduced software fixes designed to prevent such abuses of the system. These new measures have been partly successful in preventing the block booking of appointments by...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Visa Applications (21 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank Deputy Burke for raising this very important question. I share his concerns for the Afghan people and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan. Ireland has acted swiftly and compassionately to demonstrate our support and solidarity with the Afghan people. My Department is working closely with colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Children,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Visa Applications (21 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I reiterate that what Ireland is doing about the Afghan situation is unique. Between our Department - the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and me - and the Ministers, Deputies O'Gorman and Coveney, significant steps have been taken to help the Afghan people inasmuch as we can as one nation. We are encouraging other nations across the European Union and the European Union itself to do similar. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Visa Applications (21 Oct 2021)

James Browne: That is absolutely correct. We need to ensure that for anybody coming here the supports are put in place. That is why we have worked with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, in that respect. As in many cases, the supports that need to be put in place need to be worked on with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to ensure they are put in place. They would include, for example, school and mental...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (21 Oct 2021)

James Browne: The budget provided by the Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of €1.952 billion for 2021. Budget 2022 provides more than €2 billion in funding. This reflects the Government’s commitment to making sure people are safe in their communities. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is by law...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (21 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank the Deputy. I also thank rank and file and senior Garda officers who stepped up to the mark during Covid and showed their commitment to the local communities in which they were based and living throughout that very difficult period. I also thank the trainees who stepped up to the mark during the period when a slightly different approach was taken from the approach taken in the past....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (21 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank Deputy Flaherty for raising the issue of the number of gardaí in County Longford. I am aware that policing and protecting rural communities in the county is a hugely important matter for the Deputy, who has raised this matter with me on numerous occasions. The deployment of gardaí is a matter for the Garda Commissioner but I have no doubt that he will deploy additional...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (21 Oct 2021)

James Browne: I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this important matter of Garda numbers in County Donegal. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, for the deployment of An Garda Síochána throughout the State and for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (21 Oct 2021)

James Browne: Deputy Pringle keeps a strong watch on the number of gardaí because it is so important to have the necessary gardaí in place. As I said, the deployment of gardaí is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. I would hope that the additional gardaí going into training this year and next year will be distributed as necessary throughout the country, as they become available to...