Results 7,481-7,500 of 15,536 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reports (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the publication and implementation of the recommendations of the Drogheda scoping report are key actions in my Department's Justice Plan 2022. Last year my Department published a report I had commissioned from the former Director of the Probation Service, Mr. Vivian Geiran, who made over 70 recommendations on short and long-term responses to challenges the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Inquiries (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: In February 2019, retired District Court Judge Gerard Haughton was appointed by the then Minister for Justice and Equality to carry out a scoping exercise in the light of the public controversy surrounding the circumstances of the death of Shane O'Farrell. The purpose of the scoping exercise was to advise the Minister as to whether any further investigation or inquiry beyond those already...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Strategies (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, Minister Browne and I published the new Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 in April last year. I wish to thank the Deputy for his significant work on the Strategy during his tenure as Minister of State. The Strategy includes consideration of the full range of issues connected to children and young people at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: In line with goal one of Justice Plan 2022 to Tackle crime, enhance national security and transform policing, I have been informed that An Garda Síochána are undertaking a number of operations in Dublin as part of the government’s overall aim to ensure that people are safe and feel safe in their own community. As the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: 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 immigration permission the chance to regularise their status, access the labour market and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Government is acutely aware of the substantial and ongoing damage that drug dealing has 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 and alcohol...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: The government has allocated An Garda Síochána with an unprecedented budget of over €2 billion for 2022. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff. As a result, Garda numbers are now at over 14,300 Garda members and over 3,100 Garda staff nationwide. The Deputy may be aware that there was a very strong interest in the recent...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to ensuring that people across both rural and urban Ireland are safe and feel safe, and to ensuring that there is strong, visible and effective policing, including community policing. A key pillar of the Programme for Government is building stronger and safer communities. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department funds a number of initiatives around the country to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: My Justice Plan 2022 commits to developing a fully digital, customer-centric immigration service and to enhance the efficiency of our immigration system. In line with these commitments, a number of actions have been taken to reduce the impact on immigration processing times, including the introduction of online applications, a new customer service helpdesk and a new customer-focused...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including operational matters such as the opening and closing hours for each Garda station. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. The table, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: 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 personnel matters. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. I am informed by the Garda Authorities that as of June 2022, there were 199 Garda members on sick leave due to an...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: It is my intention that every person who needs a refuge space will have access to one. I fully acknowledge the need for a significant increase in the provision of refuge spaces and I am committed to achieving this in order to ensure that victims have a safe place when they need it. Last week, I brought to Government Zero Tolerance: the Third National Strategy to combat Domestic, Sexual...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: I have noted the publication last week of the Free Legal Aid Centre's annual report for 2021. FLAC plays a key role in the provision of legal information, advice and advocacy work and regularly engages with my Department on access to justice matters. My Department also provides substantial annual funding to FLAC to ensure that it can continue its important work helping people with legal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy may be aware, three Local Community Safety Partnerships are currently being piloted over 24 months in North Inner City Dublin, Waterford and Longford. These locations allow the proposed structure to be trialed in a high population density area, a medium population density area and a low population density area, with a regional distribution. The pilots are subject to independent...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Office of the Inspector of Prisons is a statutory body, independent in how it carries out its work, set up under the Prisons Act 2007. The Inspector's key role is to carry out regular inspections of prisons and the Inspector plays a vital role in ensuring effective independent oversight of our prison system. The Inspectorate also has responsibility for investigating deaths of prisoners...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: Setting up a domestic violence register is something I discussed with Jason Poole, brother of Jennifer Poole who was murdered by her ex-partner, when I met with Jason earlier this year. After that meeting, I also discussed this with Commissioner Harris and it is included in the Third National Strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence as a priority for consideration. It is being...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: It is my intention that every person who needs a refuge space will have access to one. I fully acknowledge the need for a significant increase in the provision of refuge spaces and I am committed to achieving this in order to ensure that victims have a safe place when they need it. Last week, I brought to Government Zero Tolerance: the Third National Strategy to combat Domestic, Sexual...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Policies (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the restricting of a person’s liberty is a serious issue, given the Constitutional presumption that a person is 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 entirely independent in the exercise of their judicial functions and the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Appointments to State Boards (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: The information requested by the Deputy is not held by my Department. The nomination and appointment processes for boards of bodies under the aegis of my Department are set out in legislation. In line with Government Decision S180/20/10/1617 of 2014 and Guidelines set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, my Department, in conjunction with the Public Appointments Service...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (5 Jul 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 497, 498 and 516 together. I am deeply conscious of how important the granting of naturalisation is to those who apply for it and my Department continued to accept and process citizenship applications throughout the pandemic and during all levels of public health restrictions.  There are currently 3,526 applications in the system in respect of a minor who...