Results 13,001-13,020 of 15,908 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that individuals must be in possession of a valid passport or identity documents when they arrive in Ireland and it is an offence to not have the appropriate documents. While there are exceptions for some passengers travelling within the Common Travel Area, in general, the requirement to have appropriate documents applies to Irish, EU and Non-EU arrivals. We...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: Road safety is a shared responsibility, and while the National Road Safety Strategy is led by my colleague the Minister of Transport, our responsibilities in this regard are taken very seriously across Government. We have all been shocked by the loss of life on our roads, and concerned by the worrying increase in road fatalities after many years of progress in making our roads safer. I...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: Road safety is a shared responsibility, and while led by the Department of Transport, it is one which is taken very seriously across Government. We have all been shocked by the loss of life on our roads, and concerned by the worrying increase in road fatalities after many years of progress in making our roads safer. I continue to engage with colleagues across Government to ensure that every...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sex Offenders Notification Requirements (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: The General Data Protection Regulation is an EU Regulation, by which Ireland is bound, and the European Court of Justice is responsible for the interpretation of European law, including the GDPR. The "right to be forgotten" came from a ruling of the Court of Justice and it gives people the right to seek the deletion of their data from a site. It does not give a guarantee this will be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Inquiry into the Death of Mr. Shane O'Farrell (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 44 together. The sudden loss of Shane O'Farrell at such a young age, with his whole life ahead of him, is a desperate tragedy for all those who knew and loved him and one which will always be an immense source of grief in their lives. The report of Judge Gerard Haughton arising from the Scoping Exercise into the circumstances surrounding the death of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and this is reflected in the allocation of over €2.35 billion in Budget 2024. This unprecedented level of funding is allowing for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff and investment in technology and equipment. While the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: Tackling drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation and violence on families and communities, is a top priority for my Department. Unprecedented funding has been provided to An Garda Síochána, which has enabled the Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime. The funding made...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. The Garda Air Support Unit is a national resource based at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Co. Dublin and is under the direction and control of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 216 together. Tackling drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation and violence on families and communities, is a top priority for my Department. Unprecedented funding has been provided to An Garda Síochána which has enabled the Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: My Department is taking all necessary steps to manage the international protection process fairly, efficiently and effectively, while ensuring the integrity of Ireland's rules-based immigration system is maintained. I introduced accelerated processing in November 2022 and it now applies to the following cohorts: 15 safe countries of origin - Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the distribution of resources, and the use of Garda facilities, across the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in this matter. The Government is committed to building...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the deputy that a deportation order is a legal order to leave the State. Any person who has been ordered to leave the State and fails to do so is committing a criminal offence, and can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána. Such an order remains on the person’s record permanently, unless revoked by the Minister for Justice...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: On 15 May 2024, I jointly announced with Minister Burke that the Government has agreed to the roll out of a single permit to both work and live in Ireland. Legal migration pathways are vital to addressing labour shortages at all skill levels across the economy and has been a key driver of growth in Ireland. I work closely with the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Reviews (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for her interest in this issue. As you aware, my Department commissioned an independent consultant to undertake the statutory review of Part 4 of the Act but, due to a number of reasons, it was not possible for the review to be completed within the desired timeframe. I acknowledge that the report is now significantly overdue and the Deputy is aware, from previous...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and this is reflected in the allocation of over €2.35 billion in Budget 2024. This unprecedented level of funding is allowing for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff and investment in technology and equipment. While the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I would like to inform the Deputy on the ongoing improvements being made to the processing of citizenship applications. Just last week, I had the honour of attending a Citizenship Ceremony in Dublin Convention Centre, and I would like to congratulate all of our newest citizens and their proud families. Processing times are now decreasing year on year. This is a result of re-engineering...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of Garda members throughout the State. I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends. In 2024, a budget allocation of over €2.35 billion has been provided to An Garda Síochána. This is a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that in 2023, over 166,000 visa applications were submitted and approximately 140,000 people were granted visas to travel to Ireland. These figures are likely to be surpassed in 2024, with over 123,000 visa applications having been received in the first seven months of this year alone. This reflects an increase of 20%, compared to the same period in 2023, with over...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. Having said that, the unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion for 2023 and €2.35 billion for 2024 to An Garda Síochána demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring there is provision for the necessary equipment, technology,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Garda Reserve represents a real opportunity for anyone wishing to make a contribution to their community and, in some cases, learn more about the role of a Garda member prior to seeking to join An Garda Síochána full time. Reserves serve a very valuable role in assisting Gardaí with local patrols, crime reduction initiatives and administration. They also assist in the...