Results 9,541-9,560 of 15,638 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (26 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: I am advised that the person referred to by the Deputy has previously made applications for naturalisation, however, those applications were refused on the grounds that the applicant did not have the required reckonable residence as set out in the 1956 Act as amended. The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: Amendments Nos.1 and 2 are minor technical drafting amendments that will insert a letter "a" before both "uniform" and "helmet" in the definition of "body-worn camera" in section 2. Amendments Nos. 13, 33, 70, and 74 are again minor technical amendments that will insert semicolons in place of commas in sections 12, 21, 35, and 43. Amendment No. 40 is a minor technical amendment to section...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: Section 47 already stipulates what can be included in a code of practice. Section 47(2) provides for An Garda Síochána to set out different provisions for different types of recording devices when drafting the codes. This means that what the Senator is seeking in amendments Nos.3 and 4 is already provided for. The codes of practice will not be included in the Bill directly; they...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I have the groupings I have in front of me. I do not know if the list is the same as the one the Senator has.

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I have amendments Nos. 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12 in this group.

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I will respond to-----

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I will respond to all of them. I will take them in order. Senator Keogan spoke about amendment No. 7. I know she was not available at that time but on Committee Stage I said clearly that this is an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner. Again, a lot of what we are discussing in these groupings are matters that will be set out in the codes of practice rather than in the Bill. As...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: There will be a pilot, absolutely.

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: That will be in the middle of next year.

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: The Senator's amendment is not being accepted because it asks for training which is not a competency of this legislation. It is for the Commissioner to roll out.

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I can come back on that. However, training is an operational matter for the Commissioner and so it is not within our remit here. As the Garda Commissioner has very clearly shown with the rollout of specialist units in any area, training is absolutely paramount. For front-line gardaí using specialist equipment, whether it is CCTV or otherwise, it will be part of the overall training....

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: It will be carried out-----

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: We just discussed this but, again, I appreciate where the Senator is coming from. Regarding amendment No. 14, I do not think it is appropriate that the Houses of the Oireachtas legislate for the codes of practice or codes of conduct.Such an operational matter must be developed by the Garda but there must be oversight and ability for discussion, debate, engagement and for everybody to have...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: It is explicitly stated in section 62 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 that it is an offence for a member to disclose any information obtained in the course of carrying out their duties. This includes any information, whether it is a recording or video footage, not only of an intimate image but any type of-----

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: It is any information. It is anything they come across in the course of their duties, whether a case they are working on or a case somebody else is working on. This covers all of the issues. It is already a criminal offence. I do not want to repeat what is already a criminal offence in another Act. It is there, it is established and it has been in place since 2005.I fully agree with the...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: The reason is that it might sometimes be necessary for a garda to share information in the course of duty, but where the sharing is crossing a line and is not to deal with a case or is unnecessary, it is a different matter. Someone who is part of a team might have to share the information for very valid purposes. The reason for the reference to a harmful effect is to distinguish between the...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: It would. I do not have to hand all the details relating to the Act in question because we are not focusing on it now. However, I have been told very clearly that what the Senator is trying to achieve is very much covered by the 2005 Act. I am not sure I am going to be able to satisfy the Senator in this discussion. It is a question of any information obtained. The reason for the...

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputies for their contributions and Deputy Ó Ríordáin for tabling the amendment and raising this point. He referred to the organisations and individuals who have worked in this space for many decades. At every step of the way in the development of the zero tolerance strategy, but also this agency, I have tried to make sure their views, voices, concerns,...

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for outlining the current position and what we discussed previously. It is a given that the processing of personal data by any party must be in accordance with GDPR and law, particularly the legal framework provided by GDPR. As the Deputy noted, the advice I have been given is that section 41 does not alter that in any way or affect the data privacy rights of any person....

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (8 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: In the same regard, I do not think the amendment is necessary on the basis that there is no way that this Bill, as it currently stands and is drafted, could be interpreted as designating a service provider as a public body within the meaning of the 2019 Act. The only way that the Bill could actually have such an effect is that if it contained a specific provision amending the 2019 Act to...