Results 2,361-2,380 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Guardian Status (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: If it were that simple it would be done already but unfortunately it is not that simple. It is the case that for somebody else to become a guardian they will have had to shown that they were for the previous 12 months a part of that child's life and a part of the day-to-day of that child's life. If both parents had been in that scenario and one is since deceased and the other is potentially...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Guardian Status (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I wish to clarify that there is no delay in any report. Any report that I have been given I am acting on. With the familicide report actions are already being taken. This specific one-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Guardian Status (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: No. What I said was at the end of the year there were recommendations specifically on this. The familicide report does not set how one does this. The Deputy is suggesting that there would be an automatic removal of guardianship. To do that would impact on the cases that I am speaking about. We need to have an understanding of the individual cases. For that we need to change the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Guardian Status (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: No, this is not a report that is being undertaken as part of this. It is not mine. This is separate. At the end of the year there will be proposals as to how we enact this specific recommendation from the familicide report. They are two different things. We are not talking about that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Priorities (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge the unbelievable work of the members of An Garda Síochána and those from the many other emergency support services who responded to the appalling scenes last November after the tragic event earlier in the day. There are ongoing investigations into this matter. In the days, weeks and months since those events, 51 people have been arrested. There...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Priorities (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Tánaiste's comments relate to the difference between the British and Irish systems subsequent to days of riots in multiple cities across the UK. I am saying clearly that the difference between the United Kingdom and Ireland is that police over there had access to evidence and information which allowed them to obtain early guilty pleas when bringing people before the courts and to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Priorities (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy asked a number of questions. In the past four years, the Garda budget has increased by 25%. It now stands at €2.35 billion. We have 14,100-plus Garda members and 3,200 Garda staff. The Garda Reserve has been established, and 1,800 applications were received as part of the first recruitment campaign. Every garda on the beat has a hand-held device. This means that they...

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

Helen McEntee: My number one priority is to significantly increase the number of Gardaí. Our current target is for 15,000 Garda members, 4,000 Garda staff and 2,000 Reserves. The closure of the Garda college during the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted on Garda numbers, with the Garda Commissioner indicating that there would be 1,000 additional Gardaí today if it had not been for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service (26 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: I recognise the important role played by barristers and solicitors in support of the administration of criminal justice, both in the context of defending people who are accused of crimes and working with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in respect of prosecutions. Ireland’s system of criminal legal aid has served the country well over the last 60 years. I am...

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

Helen McEntee: There is a robust framework of legislation in place to monitor and manage the risk posed by convicted sex offenders to the community. Convicted sex offenders are subject to part 2 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001 which imposes notification requirements on the offender. The offender is obliged to notify An Garda Síochána of their personal details, and of any changes to them,...

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

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, earlier this year, a Government strategy was put in place to address the presence of tents and rough sleeping in the vicinity of the International Protection Office in Mount Street. As part of this strategy, a joint operation involving the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; my Department; An Garda Síochána; Dublin...

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

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, Irish law prohibits the carriage of munitions of war by civil aircraft in Irish sovereign territory and by Irish registered aircraft, wherever they may be. Exemptions to this prohibition may be granted by the Minister for Transport under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989. When processing...

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

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the right to protest is guaranteed under the Constitution. Of course, people do not have the right to behave in a way that causes others to fear for their safety, and An Garda Síochána monitors protest activity where there is potential for breaches of public order. The rule of law, human rights and the principle of proportionality are respected at...

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

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that the Government is committed to delivering effective data protection regulation and protection of the data privacy rights of EU citizens. As the Deputy will be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation does not apply to the personal data of deceased persons. The rights of the relatives of deceased persons to control the social media accounts of a relative...

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

Helen McEntee: The recruitment process for An Garda Síochána includes security clearance and vetting procedures for good reason, as the organisation fulfils a unique dual role as our national police and security service. I can, of course, understand the frustration of anyone who applies to join the Gardaí and who must wait for the various checks to be complete before being offered a...

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...