Results 6,601-6,620 of 15,536 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (27 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: The visa application referred to by the Deputy was refused by the Visa Office in Abuja on 2 November 2020. The reasons for this decision were set out in the refusal letter sent to the applicants at that time. An appeal of this decision was launched on 19 January 2021. Appeals for applications of this type are processed in the order in which they are received, to be fair to all applicants....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (27 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Citizenship Division of my Department will contact the persons concerned shortly to notify them of their application numbers. Applications for naturalisation and general queries in respect of same are dealt with in chronological order by date received. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: The amendment on the local district-----

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: What I am proposing is to separate the two. As it is currently worded, the Garda would have to give both the name and a photograph. The relevant Garda member may decide it is not necessary to give both, so we will separate it out such that there is a paragraph relating to disclosure of the name and another relating to a photograph.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: The advice of the Attorney General is that we would have to disclose or give advance notice to the offender before this is done. We may be able to consider this further and clarify it. The wording is that a Garda "shall, in advance of making a disclosure" inform the relevant offender. It does not state that the member must do so. That provides flexibility. The Attorney General is clear...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: Apologies. I read it as "may". We will get clarity on that issue. I agree with the Deputy. I do not think that in all instances-----

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: I will get clarity on this.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: Sorry. I was saying "shall" as "may" in my head. I would like to get clarity on this point. I agree with the Deputy on it. We will come back to that issue. On the issue of publication, I am sure that what is in the Bill is the strongest language that covers everything. We can look at it again to clarify that the intention is that it would apply to every type of publication, including...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: The intention behind the Bill is that An Garda Síochána have discretion to disclose information. We are in agreement that if something happens, it should be reported immediately, whether it is a child being approached or something more sinister or serious. If, however, a parent or other individual engages with An Garda Síochána, there is flexibility there. If An Garda...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: I fully agree with the Deputy that somebody who is released from prison should not be allowed to continue to harass or to engage in behaviour that causes alarm, distress or upset that has serious implications for a person. Obviously, there is discretion for any judge to say that, on release, the person cannot engage with a person or go within X amount of miles of a person, but I am also...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: I am happy to look at it. I will come back to the Deputy before we take Report Stage.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: The position is that we cannot go beyond maximum sentencing for an outright prohibition when it comes to the offender's work. Therefore, if the maximum sentence is ten years and he or she serves five, the prohibition is five years. In a lot of the serious cases, it is life imprisonment, so it means it would apply for life. This refers to where it is not a life sentence. As I said, if it...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: No, there is no timeline for being on the register but people have a constitutional right to work and to make a living, and outright restrictions impede on that constitutional right, so if there is a ten-year sentence, the outright ban constitutes a further penalty and we cannot go beyond the maximum sentence. If it is ten years and the person serves eight, we cannot apply it for another...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: Part of this section is to get the permission of the property owner to install particular technical equipment that would be needed to monitor the person staying there. We cannot put equipment into somebody's house without his or her permission and that is what this allows for. If a convicted offender is staying in a property, be it rented or otherwise, we must seek the permission of the...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: My understanding is that a base device is required. Perhaps technology will evolve, but if it is at the stage where something, albeit something small, needs to be installed, then the Bill allows for that. This does not really do anything other than ensure there is permission from the homeowner. If somebody is released from prison and he or she cannot comply with release commitments that...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: I do not know if the Garda is working with satellites just yet. We are not quite there yet.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: The only thing I would say is that this only refers to situations where something needs to be installed. It does not mean there is a requirement for permission for anything else. If nothing needs to be installed, then no permission is needed. The provision is there in case permission is needed. I accept that technology has moved on, but at the same time, if some element of technology is...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 34: In page 30, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “Amendment of Schedule to Principal Act 28.The Schedule to the Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following paragraphs after paragraph 7: “7A. An offence under section 1 of the Act of 1935 (defilement of girl under 15 years of age). 8. An offence under section 2 of the...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Helen McEntee: My understanding is that it is simply the case that these two references were taken out by accident or were not included in the Schedule. There is no exclusion of either gender but I will clarify that for the Deputy. It is simply that these two offences were not included by accident but there are other offences that cover boys.