Results 10,181-10,200 of 10,346 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (3 Jul 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 people....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023, which was signed into law in December 2023, provides for a new regime for the authorisation and operation of CCTV schemes. In order to introduce the new regime for CCTV, Part 5 of that Act must be commenced. There is a new requirement under that Act for the Garda Commissioner to develop a Code of Practice for CCTV which will set out...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Legal Aid Board is the statutory, independent body responsible for the provision of civil legal aid and advice to persons of modest means, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 (“the 1995 Act”) and the Civil Legal Aid Regulations 1996 to 2021. Section 3(3) of the 1995 Act states that the Board shall, subject to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Victim Support Services (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: My Department has no involvement in the processes for victims of people detained following a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. The Central Mental Hospital (CMH) is a designated centre run by the HSE under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006 and is part of the National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS), which provides a range of forensic mental health services to its...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Trafficking (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Human trafficking is an exploitative and particularly heinous crime. It preys on some of the most vulnerable, and is committed with no regard for life, dignity or for the most basic of human rights. Across Government, we acknowledge the seriousness of this crime and are determined to reach and help those who have been affected by it and to take them out of these horrific situations. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) provides accommodation and other basic supports to people applying for international protection in Ireland. This is part of EU and Irish law. As part of our work to source and develop international protection accommodation, the Department receives multiple offers of accommodation from property owners and providers around the country....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Law Cases (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Section 32 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964, as amended, permits the ordering of reports from experts in relation to the views of the child and or on any question affecting a child’s welfare in guardianship, custody or access proceedings. These reports can be ordered by the Court on its own motion or following an application by one of the parties. It is important to note...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (3 Jul 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. A number of key actions have been taken as part of our plan to tackle illegal drug use. This includes: Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can assure the Deputy that my Department works closely with colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure a coordinated national response to humanitarian crises and conflicts such as the situation in Gaza. This includes work to evacuate Irish citizens and their families who may require visa assistance. In respect of Gaza, my Department is in regular contact with the Embassy...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy may be aware, 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. In 2024 the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 14,000 first decisions compared to over 8,500 in 2023, while the International...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 set out a new framework for how An Garda Síochána operates. This significant legislative reform which was implemented over the course of the last year necessitated a temporary pause in promotion competitions for certain senior ranks, that is, superintendent and above, until the commencement of the Act and implementation of new...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy will appreciate, the allocation of court business is the responsibility of the judiciary who are, under the Constitution, independent in the exercise of their judicial functions. Furthermore, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is carried out by the independent Courts Service. Insofar as the administration and management of An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Accommodation (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am advised that the Courts Service purchased a site in 2020, at Kylekiproe, on which to build a new Courthouse. Further progress in relation to the Portlaoise project and several others which form part of Courts Service projects included in the National Development Plan (NDP), will depend on the next round of NDP funding. The inclusion of courthouses in the National Development Plan,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I am absolutely committed to combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV), and to ensuring that the victims of these crimes have access to the appropriate supports. Any increase in reported cases of rape and sexual assault, while deeply concerning, may also be evidence that greater numbers of people feel...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Agreements (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: My Department publishes a list of measures that Ireland has opted into on our website. This list, up to December 2022, is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migrati on/policy-information/european-affairs/ Those measures Ireland has opted into since the start of December 2022 are contained in the table at the link below and I have made...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has a total of 26 dedicated Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) Coordinators operational across all prisons and open centres. These ISM coordinators support rehabilitation, to address offending-related risks and assist with release planning and integration into the community. They are supported by prison management and the prison-based multi-disciplinary...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Employment Support Services (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: In November 2024, my Department launched ‘Building Pathways Together: Criminal Justice Reintegration Through Employment Strategy 2025-2027’. This builds on the strong foundations laid by the 2017 Social Enterprise strategy ‘A New Way Forward’, and the 2020 ‘Working to Change’ strategy. The aim of this strategy is to remove barriers to employment for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I would like to reassure the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service are committed to making the best use of all available prison capacity when managing accommodation across the estate.Sex offenders, both sentenced and remand, were previously accommodated at 4 locations – Midlands Prison, Arbour Hill Prison, Castlerea Prison and Mountjoy Training Unit. However with rising sex offender...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Ireland is currently accommodating almost 33,000 people seeking international protection in over 320 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country. Due to severe shortages of accommodation over recent years, the State was unable to offer accommodation to all people seeking international protection since 2024, and there are currently 2,577 people awaiting...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (3 Jul 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) provides accommodation in over 320 centres around the country. These centres are a mix of State-owned sites, long-term centres, and emergency accommodation contracted commercially. In line with the Programme for Government 2025, and the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for International Protection approved in 2024, the State is...