Results 2,121-2,140 of 10,053 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Prison Service (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service provides funding to enable the Irish Association for Social Integration Opportunities to provide Resettlement coordinators in each of our closed prisons. Resettlement coordinators take a case-management approach to intervening with a prisoner 9 to 12 months pre-release to commence planning for post-release supports, including amongst...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Prison Service (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy will appreciate, measures to address homelessness and the provision of accommodation to persons vulnerable to homelessness are the responsibility of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. The Irish Prison Service does maintain regular contact with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and local authorities regarding the release of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Road Traffic Offences (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 773 and 774 together. Road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of members of An Garda Síochána, as well as through a programme of high-visibility road safety and enforcement operations carried out in partnership with other state agencies, in order to make our roads safer for all. As the Deputy will be aware, in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: An Garda Síochána (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 775 to 777, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes all staffing and internal HR matters such as the processing of transfer requests. As Minister I have no role in these matters. I am advised by the Garda authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Juvenile Offenders (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am advised by the Garda authorities that there are, as of end of December 2024, five Juvenile Liaison Officer (JLOs) of Garda rank assigned to Meath/Westmeath Division. I am further advised that, at the end of December 2024, the latest date for when figures are available, there were 115 members of An Garda Síochána allocated to JLO duties across the State, not inclusive of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: An Garda Síochána (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: 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, including the distribution of Garda members between the different Garda units and Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: An Garda Síochána (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: 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, including the distribution of Garda members between the different Garda units and Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: An Garda Síochána (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: 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, including the distribution of Garda members between the different Garda units and Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: An Garda Síochána (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: 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), which includes the management of the Garda Estate. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: An Garda Síochána (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 783 and 784 together. 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). The Commissioner is also responsible for the Garda Reserve under the Garda Síochána (Reserve Members) Regulations 2024. As Minister,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: An Garda Síochána (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda Síochána is central to this policy. This commitment is demonstrated by the unprecedented provision of more than €2.48bn in Budget 2025. This funding will support the recruitment of new Garda members, Garda staff and Garda Reserves, and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: An Garda Síochána (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and strengthening An Garda Síochána is at the core of that. We will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe, including to invest in recruitment, in equipment and technology and in buildings. This is reflected in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domestic Violence (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: One of the overarching goals of Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on DSGBV, published in June 2022, is to ensure that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one, and the Strategy included a commitment to doubling the number of refuge units across the country. This represents the fastest ever expansion of refuge accommodation in this country.To accelerate the delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Drug Dealing (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and is deeply aware of the impact that serious crime, including drug related crime, can have on communities. The Government’s approach to the misuse of drugs is set out in Ireland’s National Drug Strategy, ‘Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery’. This is a health-led approach to drug and alcohol...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Prison Service (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Deputy will be aware there has been much work done to date to enhance the prison infrastructure, provide additional capacity, and explore alternatives to prison. The Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future – commits to continued action in this area. The Government will continue to invest in the prison estate, to ensure that it is modern,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Sentencing Policy (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Judicial Council Act 2019 provided for the establishment of an independent Judicial Council, and, within that body, a Sentencing Guidelines and Information Committee. The Sentencing Guidelines and Information Committee (SGIC) was established on 30 June 2020. Its functions include the preparation of draft sentencing guidelines and the monitoring of the operation of those guidelines,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Sentencing Policy (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 791 and 842 together. As the Deputy will appreciate, the priorities in the Programme for Government have been agreed by the new Government and I look forward to delivering on the Justice agenda contained within the Programme. The development of legislation is a complex task which requires consideration of all the potential implications of any change to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Programme for Government (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy is aware, the Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024 was published last August and completed Second Stage in September. This Bill introduces a new statutory defence in cases of so-called ‘retail defamation’. Section 8 of the Bill provides that it will be a defence to defamation to prove that an allegedly defamatory statement consisted only of an inquiry as to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Visa Applications (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: At the outset, it is important to note that, as Minister, I do not comment on individual Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) applications. Since the closure of the programme, the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) Unit has continued to process and submit applications to the Evaluation Committee for consideration and recommendation. At present, there are approximately 100 Immigrant Investor...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Probate Applications (5 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: 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. 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...