Results 6,921-6,940 of 15,536 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Antisocial Behaviour (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to ensuring that people both feel safe and are safe in their communities. Both the Programme for Government, as well as the Justice Plan 2022, contain a number of commitments to tackle crime and improve community safety, including the ongoing prioritisation of the work of the Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour, charged with...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As I have indicated previously, I consider that any inappropriate cancellation of 999 calls is a very serious issue. This falls significantly below the high standards that the public expect from the Gardaí and the high standards that An Garda Síochána set for themselves. The Garda Commissioner has assured me that when someone calls 999 now, they can expect and trust that An...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Government is acutely aware of the significant and sustained damage that drug dealing inflicts on communities across the country. Organised criminal activity, including drug dealing, represents a serious threat to community safety. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Health leads on Government policy in the area of drugs, and this policy is guided by the national drugs...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that tackling organised criminal gangs and diverting children away from criminal activity is a key priority for the Government and an ongoing priority for An Garda Síochána. The exploitation of young people and children is a particular concern. I am very conscious of the repercussions that criminal activity can have on the quality of life for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter as protecting and supporting victims of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a key priority for me as Minister. When someone who has suffered any form of DSGBV comes forward and turns to our legal and courts process, we know this can be an incredibly daunting prospect. We need to ensure we have a system that does...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the general management and administration of the Garda organisation under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This includes the deployment of Garda members throughout the State.  The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with an unprecedented...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sentencing Policy (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I am sure the Deputy will join me in condemning any assaults made on our frontline workers. I would encourage anyone with knowledge of such offences to report this information to their local/nearest Garda station. It is imperative that frontline workers are protected in carrying out their work and that the law reflects and responds to the situations in which they find themselves.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Victim Support Services (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 42 and 60 together. I would like to thank the Deputies for raising this important matter.  My Department is leading a number of important initiatives to ensure we better support victims of crime. When a victim of crime begins to engage with the justice system they should know what to expect, be confident they will be treated respectfully and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I understand from clarifications provided, that the Deputy is referring to the procedures in place when a victim of domestic violence first makes contact with the Gardaí, and officers assess risk as part of the assistance they provide to the victim. As the Deputy will be aware, An Garda Síochána play a vital role in how we, as a State, work together to combat domestic...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, I am currently leading work on a new whole of Government strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. This new plan will have a particular focus on prevention, and on ensuring victims are better supported. It will set an overall goal of zero tolerance in our society of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. As part of this, I am focused on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Judicial System (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 40 and 562 together. As the Deputy will appreciate, the restricting of a person’s liberty is a serious issue, given the Constitutional presumption that a person is deemed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. While the State’s bail laws do provide for the refusal of bail in certain circumstances, the presiding judge is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 58 together. My Department opened the once-in-a generation scheme for the Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants in the State on 31 January 2022 for a six month period. The scheme is designed, following detailed engagement with the people affected, to give long-term undocumented people without a current...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy may be aware, in February, Ministers O’Gorman and I welcomed the publication of the Tusla review of accommodation services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The review identifies priority areas where there is greatest urgency in achieving safe accommodation for victims of domestic violence and we will use the findings of this review to inform how...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 provides for two new offences of paying for sexual activity with a prostitute and paying for sexual activity with a trafficked person. The Act also removes those who offer their services as a prostitute from the existing offences of soliciting for the purpose of prostitution. One purpose of these measures...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Inquiry into the Death of Mr. Shane O'Farrell (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 66 together. As the Deputy will be aware, retired Judge Gerard Haughton has been conducting a scoping exercise into the tragic circumstances surrounding Shane O'Farrell's death. The purpose of this exercise is to advise as to whether any further investigation or inquiry beyond those already carried out is necessary and, if so, to advise on the form of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that this Government is committed to tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) in all its forms, and to ensuring that people, particularly women and vulnerable people, feel safe and are safe in our communities. The prioritisation of this hugely-important work is evident in the policy and legislative developments implemented by this Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, this matter is one of the objectives under Goal One of Justice Plan 2022 which is to tackle crime, enhance national security and transform policing.  Specifically, objective eight contains a commitment to implement recommendations arising from a review of Courts Security. As part of that commitment, a High Level Working Group has now been established and the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Coroners Service (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: The coroner service is a network of coroners in districts throughout the country. Coroners are independent quasi-judicial officials whose function is to investigate sudden and unexplained deaths so that a death certificate can issue. Many of the recommendations of the 2000 Review related to the strengthening of the legal provisions regarding the work of the coroner. There has been...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the general management and administration of the Garda organisation under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This includes the deployment of Garda members throughout the State.  The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with an unprecedented...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (24 May 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy may be aware, I recently secured Government approval to draft legislation to make stalking and non-fatal strangulation standalone offences. The introduction of these new offences form part of the Government’s zero tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender based violence, and will be key actions in the Third National Strategy which is currently...