Results 7,061-7,080 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: No, this is a separate measure which focuses very much on the use of Eurodac. The question about direct provision will be dealt with when we deal with the large immigration Bill and whether we decide to take out a part of that and deal with the protection issues alone. In my view that is probably the most effective way to deal with the issues surrounding the timeframe and the delays in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Garda made an application for European funding and was not successful. However, I understand another application is in train and that is currently being assessed. This is a very big project, so there is no timeframe at present. However, it would be important to have this level of technology available so we would be in a position to be as involved in the Prüm decision as possible....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is not a question of complying, it is just that the level of our technology at present is such that we are not able to make full use of the provision. However, the Government position is very much that we should opt in and in the meantime work towards developing the possibility of having, from the law enforcement point of view, the technology developed. The UK has already opted in....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I asked that question too when I saw the figure 14. The interesting point is that it has been there from the beginning. Increasingly, the move is towards having exchange of fingerprint information regarding all citizens. It has been in Eurodac from the beginning, so it is not a new provision. It is a long-standing provision and it was there when we first opted in. The Article states that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is also in our own Refugee Act.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes. It is also in our own Refugee Act. Sometimes we are not as aware of these things until we see it. The provision is already in Irish law, it is in Eurodac and we have had it from the beginning.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, it is a common European standard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, if people seek asylum. One of the basic mechanisms we use to determine, for example, under the Dublin Convention, if they have already been in another country and if the other country is it should, for example. The Chair asked earlier about the numbers returning and I can say that it is mostly UK at 67%. If one wants to determine if the request should be dealt with, or what is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is a fairly basic procedure in terms of asylum seeking.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes. They would have applied in Ireland first then gone back to the UK. Under the Dublin Convention they came back to Ireland to be assessed. Obviously people went the other way as well who had applied in the UK in the first instance and then came here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is the country that plays the biggest part in their accessing a country of the European Union. That is how it is assessed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is always a possibility as systems are not perfect. In Ireland any fingerprint record that comes back has to be checked by an expert at Garda headquarters, which is the authority for Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: We should remember that the provision primarily relates to asylum seeking and allows a law enforcement piece, with very strict conditions, as I have outlined. The situation is two-tier but only in the sense that we are opting-in and we have the potential to be part of the Prüm decision, as the Garda develop the technology. In the meantime, obviously, the Garda will access Interpol or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is a procedure in place where the European Commission can initiate proceedings if the situation, as outlined, pertains. A decision can be made. At the moment, for different reasons, asylum seekers are not sent back to Greece, for example, and a special arrangement was put in place. That procedure is potentially there. To be helpful, in the Dublin regulation, where it is impossible...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulation on Eurodac: Motion (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: We have been involved before. This is the updated version of Eurodac. As I have already said, the United Kingdom has indicated it is opting-in. Obviously a lot of the issues, as I have said, regarding the Dublin Convention and the asylum seekers who come here, relate to the UK. I wish to mention that this provision does not come into force until 15 July so the earlier we can give an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Business of Joint Committee (2 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Of course.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (3 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned has permission to reside in the State until 2 November 2014. I am further advised that for the purposes of obtaining permission to reside in the State, based on the type of permission currently held by the person concerned, their spouse and children are considered to be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (3 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The question of residency status does not arise at this time in the case of the person whose details were supplied. If the person has made an application for asylum or subsidiary protection, the position is that it is not the practice to comment on such applications for so long as they are in the protection process.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Staff Sick Leave (3 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The information sought by the Deputy in relation to sick leave for the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 (to date) is set out in the table below. For the purpose of long term sick absence, the figures provided refer to absences in excess of 92 days. Year Certified sick days Self certified sick days Long term sick absence (in excess of 92 days) Total 2014 (to date) 6286 819 855 7960 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Consultancy Contracts Data (3 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to advise the Deputy that in the time available to do so it is not been possible to gather all the information requested. I will contact the Deputy directly when the information comes to hand.