Results 9,361-9,380 of 9,467 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Irish State and the Irish people have responded with exceptional support and generosity since 2022 in supporting people seeking temporary protection here from the war in Ukraine. Since February 2022, over 89,500 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection were provided accommodation by the State. Almost 24,300 of those are currently in State supported accommodation and over 38,000 are in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 686 and 687 together. The Regularisation of Long-Term Undocumented Migrants scheme opened on 31 January 2022 and closed on 31 July 2022. This once in a generation scheme was designed to give long-term undocumented people without a current permission to remain in the State, the opportunity to regularise their status, access the labour market and begin their...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Student Visas (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I understand that the Deputy is referring to Irish immigration residence permissions issued to students pursuing educational courses in the State. When a non-EEA national comes to Ireland to undertake a course of study and satisfies the relevant criteria, they will be granted a Stamp 2 student immigration permission. I can advise the Deputy that the 2025 figure, broken down by...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Student Visas (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 689 to 691, inclusive, together. I understand that the Deputy is referring to Irish immigration residence permissions issued to students pursuing educational courses in the State. The statistics sought are not collated in the manner as requested by the Deputy. When a non-EEA national comes to Ireland to undertake a course of study, be that an...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 692 and 695 to 698, inclusive, together. I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust and rules based. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can advise the Deputy that in June 2024, the Council of the European Union adopted the decision to extend the Temporary Protection (TP) Directive until March 2026. This was an important demonstration of continued solidarity and support for Ukraine at a time when innocent civilians continue to be displaced as a direct result of ongoing Russian aggression. Beneficiaries of Temporary...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is not possible to accurately quantify the number of undocumented migrants living in the State. Such persons ordinarily do not make themselves known to officials of the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) of my Department, or their lack of permission to remain in the State known generally. As the Deputy will appreciate, irregular migration, by its very nature, is clandestine. Consequently,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is a central priority for myself, my Department and this Government that our immigration laws are robust and enforced. The number of International Protection applications have been rising over the past number of years, reaching 18,500 in 2024. This year, we are beginning to see application numbers noticeably reduce. There have been 43% less applications in the first four months of 2025...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 700 and 701 together. The State is currently accommodating almost 33,000 people who have applied for international protection in Ireland, over 9,000 of whom are children with their families. Ireland and other EU Member States have responded to a very sharp and sustained increase in the number of people applying for international protection from early 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust and rules based, and that our borders are protected. There has been a significant increase in investment into the international protection system which, combined with digitisation and process reengineering, has facilitated a major increase in processing capacity. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can inform the Deputy that the information provided in Parliamentary Question 902 of 13 May 2025 relates to the number of people that have been granted permission under section 56 of the 2015 Act. Statistics on those that arrive in the State to take up residency on the basis of their family reunification permission are not recorded in the manner requested by the Deputy. While the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Garda Dog Unit is based at Kilmainham Garda Station, in the Dublin Metropolitan Region and has a national remit. It operates under the direction and control of Assistant Commissioner, Organised and Serious Crime and the operational strategic control of Detective Chief Superintendent, Operational Support Services. There are currently 28 dogs attached to the Garda Dog Unit, inclusive of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The restricted dog breed list is maintained by regulation (SI 442/1998) under the Control of Dogs Acts. Under the Act, Local Authorities are responsible for the control of dogs. Each Local Authority is required to appoint a Dog Warden or Wardens who, under Section 28 of the Act, are responsible for enforcing its provisions. The Regulations outline a requirement to keep any dog of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Garda authorities. Regrettably, this was not available in time and I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Garda Mounted Unit is based at Áras An Úachtaráin, Phoenix Park, Dublin 8 and has a national remit. It operates under the direction and control of Assistant Commissioner, Organised and Serious Crime and the operational control of Detective Chief Superintendent, Operational Support Services. There are currently 10 horses attached to the Garda Mounted Unit. I am advised...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Resettlement Programme (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) is a key part of Ireland’s response to the global humanitarian migration crisis in central and southern Europe. Since it was established in 2015, the IRPP has supported more than 4,500 refugees to resettle in Ireland. People are referred to the IRPP by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) after they have been granted...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Functions (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: In line with commitments in the Programme for Government, responsibility for the Property Services Regulatory Authority, the Property Services Appeal Board and Multi Unit Developments will transfer from my Department to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. There is ongoing engagement between the two Departments with a view to bringing proposals to Government to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It has not been possible to gather the required information. I will write to the Deputy when the information is available.

Estimates for Public Services 2025 (21 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I move the following Further Revised Estimate: Vote 24 - Department of Justice (Further Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €2,590,495,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st Day of December, 2025, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Justice, Probation Service staff and of certain...

Estimates for Public Services 2025 (21 May 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Carthy raised the issue of when temporary protection would be up. That is not an issue I can answer. What is apparent from the statistics is that after the war about 117,000 people from Ukraine came to Ireland and received temporary protection. The figure for Ukrainians in Ireland now is around 74,000 or 75,000, so clearly it is the...