Results 12,281-12,300 of 15,908 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: One of the key actions of the Third National Strategy is doubling the number of refuge spaces over the lifetime of the Strategy to 280 refuge spaces. As the Deputy is aware, prior to the establishment of Cuan on 1 January 2024, a Steering Committee for Inter-Departmental Group proposals was set up to manage and oversee progress on the delivery of additional refuge units. This Committee...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Undefined (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Citizenship Division of my Department have advised that a 28 day extension will be granted to the person referred to by the Deputy to produce the requested documents in support of their application for Naturalisation. If the applicant requires additional time to obtain the requested documents, they can contact the Citizenship Division directly to request same at...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Prison Service must accept into custody all people committed to prison by the Courts. As such, the Irish Prison Service has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time. For various reasons, including population growth, an increase in the numbers of judges and the increased size of the Garda workforce, numbers in custody have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Defence Forces (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service has held exploratory talks with the Department of Defence on the potential use of the Curragh Camp Military Prison. The Service has engaged technical consultants to undertake a conditional survey and examination of the fabric of the buildings to identify any essential works which would be required to allow the prison to be used as a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: Officials in the Irish Prison Service are civil servants and fall under the same regulations as general civil servants regarding dismissals. The dismissal of an employee from the Irish Prison Service is decided by the Appropriate Authority as outlined in the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Act 2005; which amended the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956. The identity of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) was established under the Prisons Act 2007 and is independent in how it carries out its functions. The Inspector's role is to carry out regular inspections of prisons. The Inspector's three day monitoring report of the Dóchas Centre, conducted in April and May 2020, was received in my office in August 2020, and it...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: The persons referred to by the Deputy have no valid immigration permission to remain in the State. Change of Status applications from the persons concerned were received by the Domestic Residence and Permissions Division of my Department on 28 February 2024 and continue to be processed by my Department. To be fair to all applicants, applications are dealt with in chronological order...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department. The Citizenship Division have advised that they requested further documentation from the applicant on 24 June 2024. Once these documents are received, the application will progress to the eVetting stage of the Naturalisation process. I understand the extended wait times...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Programme (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, my Department is leading a programme of family justice reform set out in the first Family Justice Strategy 2022-2025. The Strategy outlines the steps needed to create a more efficient and user-friendly family court system that puts the family and children at the centre of its work. A key component of the Strategy is the enactment of a Family Courts Bill which...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: Community safety is a top priority for my Department and everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in their communities. Community CCTV plays a vital role in achieving this goal. As the Deputy may be aware, since 2017 my Department has administered a grant-aid scheme supporting groups wishing to establish a community-based CCTV system in their area. The CCTV grant scheme was...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (2 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: One of the key actions of the Third National Strategy is doubling the number of refuge spaces available during the lifetime of the Strategy to 280 refuge spaces. As the Deputy is aware, prior to the establishment of Cuan on 1 January 2024, a Steering Committee for Inter-Departmental Group proposals was set up to manage and oversee progress on the delivery of additional refuge units. ...

Gender-Based Violence: Motion [Private Members] (3 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: I welcome the initiative by the Labour Party in tabling this Private Members’ motion on gender-based violence. While these issues have been discussed both in this House and outside of it over the past number of weeks, it is important that we are having a focused discussion. Indeed, we will be having a further discussion this afternoon as well more broadly. The motion rightly...

Tackling All Forms of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Statements (3 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: This is not the first time we have had to come together in the face of violent and horrifying circumstances. The murder of Ashling Murphy continues to weigh heavily on all of our hearts and our thoughts remain with her family and partner, as well as with the families of all the other women who have been killed by men in this country. The femicide watch list, compiled by Women’s...

Tackling All Forms of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Statements (3 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: I will try in the time I have to respond. There has been a huge number of contributions this afternoon following on from Private Members' business this morning. As we discuss this issue, I am very conscious that, for all of us, to the very fore are victims and survivors and how we can do more to put in place the resources, supports and structures to change attitudes and behaviours, are to...

Seanad: Protection of Private Residences (Against Targeted Picketing) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: I thank Senator Malcolm Byrne. I also thank Senator O'Loughlin, who seconded the Bill. As both Senators present outlined, there has been a worrying evolving trend of protests outside politicians' homes. While we all want to protect the right for people to protest peacefully, that trend has taken a more sinister and worrying direction. It is important that we do everything that we can to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (3 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123, 124, 125, 133 and 154 together. I recognise the important role played by barristers and solicitors in the administration of criminal justice – both in the context of working to defend those accused and working with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in respect of prosecutions. The Department of Justice has commenced a review of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Tribunals of Inquiry (3 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can inform the Deputy that there is a large amount of information relating to the Disclosures Tribunal available at the Tribunal’s website - www.disclosuretribunal.ie. Information on the website includes its terms of reference, daily transcripts and all its published reports. These provide a rich source of information for research or other purposes. In accordance with Section 46...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (3 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, the Group I asked to review the civil legal aid scheme is independent, led by its independent chair, former Chief Justice Frank Clarke. I am conscious that members of the Review Group are giving of their time and expertise in addition to their full-time roles and I am grateful to them for that. I understand that the Group has been meeting intensively to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (3 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff, including the Garda Reserve. As the Deputy may be aware, An Garda Síochána recently launched a recruitment campaign for the Garda Reserve....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (3 Jul 2024)

Helen McEntee: It has not been possible to get the information requested by the Deputy in the time available. I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.