Results 9,201-9,220 of 9,467 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Youth Services (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Through the Programme for Government and the Youth Justice Strategy, I am committed to improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality through investment in youth justice services. The Children Act 2001 provides the legislative framework for youth justice in Ireland. The Act provides for a criminal justice regime appropriate to the particular needs of children and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: This Government takes any risk to retailers and their staff very seriously. As Minister I am acutely aware of the personal and economic impact that retail crime is having on businesses, shop workers, families and communities. Retail theft is not a victimless crime. In December 2023, Garda Operation Táirge commenced. It aims to prevent and detect Organised Retail Crime as part of An...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is a central priority for me that our immigration laws are robust and enforced. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that our people have confidence in the application of our legislation in this area. A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State, and is issued after the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is my first priority as Minister for Justice to get more Gardaí on our streets through increased recruitment. The Garda Vote in Budget 2025 saw unprecedented funding of over €2.48 billion for this year, a 27% increase since 2020 which is supporting the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff. The Programme for Government commits to recruiting 5,000 Gardaí...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: An Garda Síochána needs modern tools and equipment to protect people from harm and save lives. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to allow for the use of biometric technologies in certain, very controlled circumstances as a tool to process evidence in serious cases. Work is well advanced on the drafting of a Bill to amend the Recording Devices Act to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am acutely aware of capacity restraints in our prisons, and the challenges faced by those who work and live in our prisons. The current Programme for Government commits to increasing the capacity of our prisons by 1,500, and the Irish Prison Service have already begun work to achieve this. I am also committed to progressing commitments in the Programme for Government related to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy. The Garda Vote in Budget 2025 saw unprecedented funding of over €2.48 billion for this year, a 27% increase since 2020 which is supporting the continued recruitment of Garda members and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Toward the end of 2021, Ireland was accommodating about 7,000 people in the international protection system, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine had not yet occurred. Our accommodation systems had to expand at a rapid pace over the following three years in response to a sharp increase in need, among both people fleeing the war in Ukraine, and greater numbers of people applying for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Tackling drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation, violence and misery on families and communities, is a top priority for the Government and my Department. The scourge of drugs affects all areas of Ireland, rural and urban and a number of key actions have been taken as part of our plan to tackle illegal drug use. These include: Increasing the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Cross-Border Co-operation (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that there continues to be excellent ongoing cross-border engagement and co-operation with counterparts in Northern Ireland on relevant justice matters. I have had regular contact with the Minister for Justice Naomi Long, MLA since my appointment in January. I had an initial virtual meeting with Minister Long on 4 February and more recently we met for a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Northern Ireland (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The single worst atrocity of the Troubles occurred in Omagh on 15 August 1998. The bombing was an unspeakable and brutal act of cruelty carried out by terrorists with no sense of humanity or respect for human life. We will never forget those who lost their lives, those who were injured and the families whose suffering for their loved ones continues. The Omagh Bombing Inquiry was...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 155 and 176 together. The Programme for Government commits to working with An Garda Síochána to ensure a person in an intimate relationship can be informed of a serious risk to them where a new partner has a history of domestic violence.I have requested officials to examine proposals to establish a register or mechanism that would allow for the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Youth Services (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am committed to improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality through investment in youth justice services. The Programme for Government and the current Youth Justice Strategy both include actions to address recidivism amongst young offenders. Ireland’s youth justice system prioritises early intervention, diversion, detention as a last resort and addressing...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I fully recognise the growing and deeply troubling trend of people recording and sharing videos or images of fatal accidents, often using smartphones or similar devices. These actions can cause immense distress to victims’ families, violate the dignity of the deceased, and worsen the trauma of an already tragic situation. What is particularly alarming is that, in some cases, loved ones...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Community safety is a top priority for my Department and everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in their communities. Rural Ireland is no exception. In 2019, the National Rural Safety Forum was established. The Forum comprises of a broad range of organisations, including my Department, An Garda Síochána, the IFA and stakeholders who share the common purpose of ensuring...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Annual Delegate Conferences (ADCs) of the four Garda Associations are important events which provide an opportunity for the Associations to raise the concerns of their members and for me, as Minister, and the Commissioner as leader of An Garda Síochána to respond to those concerns and to outline our respective views on policing and related matters. I regret therefore, the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Youth Services (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am committed to improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality through investment in youth justice services. The statutory Youth Diversion Programme is supported by a network of Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs). Youth Diversion Projects are community-based multi-agency crime prevention initiatives, which seek to divert young people who have become involved in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Government is acutely aware of capacity constraints across the prison estate and has committed, in the Programme for Government, to increasing capacity by 1,500. The average daily prison population and official bed capacity of each custodial institution are published on a daily basis and are available on the Irish Prison Service website (www.irishprisons.ie). This information can be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As Minister for Justice, my goal is to ensure a robust and enforced immigration system. The international protection system should be efficient, giving people speedy decisions as to whether they are being granted international protection and integrated into our society, or not. At the beginning of 2022, Ireland's international protection accommodation service sheltered about 7,000...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (15 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I have provided the below table, based on figures from An Garda Síochána, which details the total number of resignations and retirements from An Garda Síochána over the past five years as of April 2025. It also outlines intakes into the Garda College and attestations over the past five years as of March 2025, which reflects the most recent intake and attestation from the...