Results 2,061-2,080 of 15,060 for speaker:Helen McEntee

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...

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

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware as Minister for Justice, I have no role in the exercise of Probate functions. The Probate Office is an office of the High Court, and management of the courts is the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution. Probate...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Work Permits (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: The criteria and conditions for obtaining employment permits are set by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE). My Department’s role relates to the immigration rules and procedures that apply to persons granted an employment permit by that Department. Both Departments work closely together to ensure that Ireland's labour market migration arrangements are fair,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: Combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) is a priority for me and my Department. This is reflected in our policies, legislative proposals and in increased budgetary allocations in recent years. The extent of our ambition in this regard is set out in our whole of Government Zero Tolerance Strategy to combat all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Policies (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: Community safety is about people being safe and, importantly, feeling safe in their own communities. At the heart of this policy is the principle that every community has the right to thrive and flourish. Our approach to community safety is a whole-of-Government one. We want to bring the relevant social service providers, including the Gardaí, together with the community in a...

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

Helen McEntee: In the context of the recent increase in public order incidents related to protests, the Garda Commissioner asked that I consider amending public order laws to provide a power to Gardaí to direct a person to remove a face covering that is worn for the purposes of intimidating others. While the right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of any democracy, this does not give people the...

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: I would like to assure the Deputy that I am absolutely committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources necessary to make sure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe. While I am aware of efforts by foreign police services to recruit members of An Garda Síochána, I am advised that the number of Gardaí leaving to join a foreign police service...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (26 Sep 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 and as such, the Irish Prison Service has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time. The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the capacity and number of persons in custody in Mountjoy Prison is contained in the table below. I can...

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 management and administration of Garda business under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). As Minister I have no role in these independent functions. Under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012-2016, the Garda National Vetting Bureau (GNVB) is...

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

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced proposals to amend the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 at Seanad Committee stage so that the Bill can move forward with the hate crime elements. Ireland is one of the last countries in the EU not to have specific hate crime offences set out in law, yet we are witnessing increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 204, 205 and 206 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the EU Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC) was activated by the EU Council in March 2022 in response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The Directive establishes the minimum standards of protection to be provided by Member States in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons from...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ministerial Staff (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, appointments of special advisers are made in line with the Public Service Management Act, 1997 and subject to Government approval - the formal appointment of a Special Adviser requires a Government Order and a copies of which are available in the Statutory Instruments section of the Irish Statute Book website at . More information on the appointment of special...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Policies (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy may be aware that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs has previously set out a number of concerns about Iran in relation to human rights, Iran's nuclear activities, support for Russia's unjust attack on Ukraine, and support for militant and extremist groups around the region. The Tánaiste has further indicated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Female Genital Mutilation (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, our response to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is primarily a health-led response and in September 2012, the then Minister for Health signed the commencement order for the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012. As the long-title of the Act explains, this important piece of legislation creates an offence of female genital mutilation and provides...