Results 19,821-19,840 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy may be aware, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a statutory body with staff drawn from An Garda Síochána, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (including Customs), the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice.  I can inform the Deputy that there is no proposal to reduce the staffing of the Bureau.  Competitions are currently underway...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can assure the Deputy that tackling organised criminal activity is an overriding priority for An Garda Síochána and the Government. I wish to acknowledge the superb and painstaking work of the Gardaí in harnessing an international coalition of support to tackle the criminality associated with a particular Organised Crime Group. The enforcement of sanctions demonstrates the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, as shown by the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2023 of €2.14 billion. This level of funding will support the planned recruitment of up to 1,000 new Garda members and 400 new Garda staff. It is clear that we have a strong pipeline of recruits coming through who...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 488 and 489 together. The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2023 of €2.14 billion. I am advised by the Garda authorities that at 31 October 2022, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 14,211 Garda members. This...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 491 to 493, inclusive, together. I would like to refer to the Deputy to my reply to his Parliamentary Question 312 of the 20th October 2022 which provides details of the number of persons deemed to have committed further offences while on bail in each of the past ten years. While I am advised by An Garda Síochána that the State's amended bail...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 494 and 498 together. The Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative and educational programmes that offer purposeful activity to prisoners while serving their sentences and which encourage them to lead law abiding lives on release.  These programmes are available in all prisons and all prisoners are eligible to use the services,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, Prison Governors are, by law, required to admit into custody all prisoners committed to prison by the Courts. The Irish Prison Service therefore has no control over the numbers committed to custody in any given year. The number of prisoners in custody on trial/remand by month is provided in the table below.  The daily average number of persons in custody...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can advise the Deputy that I have been informed by the Irish Prison Service that the recording of offences is not classified by minor, less serious or serious. According to the latest snapshot of the prison population taken on the 30th November 2022 there were 4,369 persons in custody, of which 3,409 were sentenced prisoners. A breakdown of the sentenced population by Offence Group...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can advise the Deputy that I am not aware of circumstances in which a person would be detained in the manner described, however, if he has a specific case in mind I will make inquiries to clarify the position.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Land Issues (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy may be aware, the responsibility for ensuring public access to recreational lands that are held in private ownership sits with the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage. It is understood from my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government, and Heritage that Sections 206 and 207 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act) provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The critical path for the introduction of the new Prisoner Complaints system includes the drafting of a Statutory Instrument to support a legally sound administrative process and to amend the prison rules. In that regard, officials in my Department and the Irish Prison Service continue to engage with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel with a view to completing work on the Statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 501 and 502 together. I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from the Irish Prison Service, however, the information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by my officials in the Irish Prison Service that there is no formal complaints mechanism for a prison officer to make a complaint against a prisoner. If a prisoner is found to be in breach of the Prison Rules, an officer can refer the prisoner to the disciplinary system in place under the Prisons Act, 2007 known as the P19 system.  This system allows Governors to impose...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: All applications to the Community Centres Investment Fund are subject to a competitive assessment process based on the assessment criteria as set out in the fund guidelines. Category 1 applicants were notified of the outcome of this process in October. Details of successful applicants are available on my department’s website at www.gov.ie/drcd. Due to the high level of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The details requested by the Deputy are set out in the tables below including in respect of the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF),  the Town & Village Renewal Scheme (T&V), the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS). 2022 RRDF T&V* Clár LIS ORIS...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: LEADER is a key programme within Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development launched last year, which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. The Expression of Interest stage to select the Groups to deliver the next LEADER programme is now open with a closing date for receipt of applications of 16thDecember 2022....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Digital Hubs (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy was launched in early 2021. The policy recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages. In May 2021 I launched the National Hub Network and its online platform, connectedhubs.ie.  The connectedhubs.ie...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, established in 2018, provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000 and rural areas across Ireland.  To date, the Fund has allocated funding of €395 million for 215 projects nationwide costing €542 million.  Since the formation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Projects (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The project referred to by the Deputy was approved for funding under the second call for Category 1 funding under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund in November 2019.  This project is currently under review due to an issue arising with regard to the matched funding available to undertake the project. A proposal from the project partners to attempt to address this issue has...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: All applications to the Community Centres Investment Fund are subject to a competitive assessment process based on the assessment criteria as set out in the fund guidelines.  Category 1 applicants were notified of the outcome of this process in October. Details of successful applicants are available on my department’s website at www.gov.ie/drcd.  Due to the high level of...