Results 9,081-9,100 of 15,638 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Schemes (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department provides funding to Muintir na Tíre to cover the costs incurred by communities in administering the Text Alert Scheme. The Scheme is administered on a refund basis whereby communities submit their annual costs to Muintir na Tíre and a maximum refund of up to €450 is provided to the community. This funding is provided for in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department. A request for a solicitor letter of authorisation from the person cited issued last week. The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I wish to inform the Deputy that the person concerned attended a Citizenship Ceremony on 20 June and their Certificate of Naturalisation will be posted to them in the coming weeks. With regards to the child's potential citizenship application, there are no provisions to apply different criteria depending on the category of employment or profession of the applicant, or any intended purpose of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I wish to inform the Deputy that there are currently 5 individuals detained in prison under section 5 of the Immigration Act 1999. The 5 individuals have been refused international protection under Section 51 of the International Protection Act. Section 5 of the Immigration Act 1999 provides that where an immigration officer or a member of the Garda Síochána, with reasonable...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: My Department takes all necessary steps to manage the international protection process efficiently and effectively, while ensuring the integrity of those processes is maintained at all times. The International Protection Office (IPO) of my Department is responsible for examining all international protection applications received. The staff of the IPO are independent by law in the exercise...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: My Department's objective is to ensure that applications are dealt with fairly and efficiently within the framework of Ireland's international obligations. The International Protection Office has partnered with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a key UN body in this field, to provide cultural mediators to assist applicants in completing application forms and provide...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I understand that this is a difficult situation for our Afghan community and would like to take this opportunity to assure them that my Department is processing applications under the Afghan Admissions Programme (AAP) as quickly as possible. To ensure as many people as possible can avail of this important programme my Department have been liaising with representatives of the Afghan Community...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Work Permits (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: Arrangements for visa process recognise the importance of facilitating travel to the State for a range of economic and social purposes. As with all visa services worldwide, the central concern in deciding on visa applications is to strike an appropriate balance between protecting the country's vital national interests by maintaining an effective immigration regime while at the same time not...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (12 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management of and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the recruitment and retention of Garda members. I can assure the Deputy the Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and the 2023 budget of over €2 billion will allow for the continued recruitment of Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: My Department acknowledges that delays in processing times can be very frustrating and disruptive to applicants for naturalisation. The backlogs currently being experienced are an unfortunate legacy of the pandemic when staff could only attend the office in a limited capacity. The paper based nature of the application process means it was very difficult to process files during that time....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The table below provides the breakdown of the number of international protection applications recorded between 2019 and to 1st July 2023 by “initial place of application”. Information on how a person enters the country when not through a designated port is not recorded. IP Applications - Place of Application Year of Application IPO Airports ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Religious Discrimination (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: Articles 12.8, 31.4 and 34.6.1° of the Constitution respectively prescribe the wording of a declaration to be made by a person taking up office as President, as a member of the Council of State, and as a judge. The declarations contain religious references. Any amendment to these provisions would require a referendum.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 526 together. I have asked An Garda Sìochàna if it is possible to provide the information request by the Deputy. Unfortunately it has not been possible to confirm this within the timeframe allowed. I will revert to the Deputy with any relevant information upon receipt.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As I am sure the Deputy appreciates, 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 entirely independent in the exercise of their judicial...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 528, 529, 530 and 531 together. It has not been possible to collate complete information as requested by the Deputy in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly when the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Seekers (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: Detention of a person refused entry to the State or a person who is subject to a deportation order, is only undertaken as a last resort. The considerations for a detention decision include the level of risk of absconding, whether the person poses a threat to public security, or whether the individual has committed a serious crime. These matters are currently the subject of review in my...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Appointments (13 Jul 2023)

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, NDP Delivery and Reform, my Department, in conjunction with the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Spent Convictions (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government commits to reviewing the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016 and to broaden the range of convictions that are considered spent. As part of this review process, a public consultation on spent convictions was launched by my Department in October 2020. Bespoke research on the approach to spent...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department, with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation. It will be submitted to me for decision in due course. Significant changes are underway within the naturalisation process as the Citizenship Division examines...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (13 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that the Visa Office in Abu Dhabi did not receive an original birth cert for the person referred to. Where original documents such as marriage, birth or death certificates are received by a visa office they will be returned as soon as the application is dealt with. I have been informed by the Visa Office in Abu Dhabi that the applicant concerned initially requested the return...