Results 8,001-8,020 of 15,622 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 30: In page 20, line 2, to delete “14I.” and substitute “14H.”.

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 31: In page 20, line 8, to delete “sections 14D and 14E operate” and substitute “section 14D operates”.

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 33: In page 20, line 9, to delete “those sections” and substitute “that section”.

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I completely agree with the Deputy. Be it stalking, harassment or whatever we call it, it absolutely ruins peoples' lives and can have a devastating impact. There is a certain situation of which we are both aware where a horrendous crime has been committed and a person has served time and is now potentially continuing that level of harassment. I gave a commitment that this would be dealt...

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 35: In page 25, line 28, to delete “for a specified term”. We have discussed this matter previously. The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that a prohibition on working with children or vulnerable people can be imposed on life-sentence prisoners. By deleting the text "for a specified term", any ambiguity is removed as to whether this can be...

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 37: In page 30, after line 35, to insert the following: “Amendment of Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Areas) Act 2022 30.(1) Section 7 of the Act of 2022 is repealed. (2) The Act of 2022 is amended by the substitution of the following section for section 25: “Transitional provisions relating to amendment of section 92 of...

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The GDPR is determined and interpreted by the European Court of Justice and I think the court has been clear in saying that where there is a serious offence, including rape, sexual assault and abuse, there is absolutely no right to be forgotten. There is a right where it is a minor offence. We talk here about trying to work with people who want to change their lives and turn their lives...

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I suggest the Deputy and I meet following this to look at the cases he has referenced. I commit to raising them directly with Google-----

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: -----and seeking a meeting with it. I am appalled at the idea somebody who has been convicted of possessing child abuse material would be in this category. As I said I was not aware of the cases the Deputy has mentioned but I am happy to meet him to go through it and to raise it directly with the company.

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: There is no legislative basis to change one's name by deed poll, so we cannot stop an offender from changing his or her name. As the Deputy alluded to, it is clear that if a person were to change his or her name after the enactment of this legislation, he or she would have three days to notify. There are strict monitoring requirements, so if a person were to change his or her name and not...

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: We have engaged with the Garda on this. I have to engage with the Garda Commissioner and his team, who represent those who are working on the ground. I have engaged with gardaí locally in respect of certain elements of this legislation. It is never easy to monitor sex offenders. With this legislation, we are trying to improve the laws that we currently have and the way in which the...

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (19 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I thank all my colleagues for their support in passing this important Bill. The objective behind the Bill is to support, enhance and improve the management and monitoring of sex offenders in our country and communities. I am sorry to hear that the Deputy is not happy with the final Bill, but I think the measures we have brought in make this good legislation. It has come about following...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Judicial Appointments (20 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It is a priority for my Department to ensure that the courts are resourced so that we can administer justice efficiently and effectively for everybody who comes into contact with the justice system. Judicial vacancies arise for a number of reasons, including retirements, promotion and, unfortunately, deaths in service. The aim is always to fill...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Judicial Appointments (20 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The fact of the matter is that we do not have enough judges, and we need more. That is clear. That is why I set up the review group. It is important that we understand how many we need and why we need them. For that reason, the people the Deputy mentioned, who know exactly what is going on in the courts, have been part of this process. It is not just the OECD report. In its final report...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Judicial Appointments (20 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: Six additional High Court judges were appointed last year, an additional €2 million was provided to prepare the work for the group that will be publishing the report in the coming weeks, there is additional funding for the modernisation programme and a very clear commitment to establish a new family court to take that very difficult situation out of the current structure. That is my...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. It is an important question. We all want to see more gardaí on our streets and dealing with different issues. That commitment is there. The budget this year was unprecedented, with €2.14 billion being allocated to the Garda. This will fund up to 1,000 new recruits next year and 400 additional Garda staff. In the year just gone, funding was allocated for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The simple answer is "Yes", without straying into areas that are not my responsibility because it is very much the role of the Garda Commissioner to look at where there are challenges, issues and significant population increases. Population is not the only factor but, as the Deputy said, it must be taken into account. We have only properly seen the figures for the most recent census in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I am proud of the work the Garda does in County Meath. I regularly meet with teams and while I want to see more gardaí on the beat and in community policing in the county, it is important that there is a separation between me and the Commissioner, who decides where gardaí go. My role is to ensure that as many potential gardaí as possible enter Templemore and that the funding...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. The role played by members of An Garda Síochána is undoubtedly a challenging and sometimes dangerous one, as I have stressed many times this year. Gardaí leave their homes, families and communities every morning to put themselves in danger. We must acknowledge that. They often encounter adversarial circumstances in their day-to-day work, which can be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy touched on a number of issues. Our gardaí are highly skilled and they are sought in many different fields, as the Deputy said. As we move to a situation where we have specific teams and units, such as in the Garda National Immigration Bureau, GNIB, fraud or domestic violence, they become more skilled and expert in their area and it is only natural that people will try to...