Results 3,081-3,100 of 16,227 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Budget 2025 (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 378 together. I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service has been allocated a budget of €525m for 2025 to increase prison capacity and tackle overcrowding. This is an increase of €79m or 18%. I can also advise the Deputy that the capital budget for the Irish Prison Service will increase by over 70% in 2025 as part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Budget 2025 (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 and 375 together. I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust and rules based, and that our borders are protected. I have significantly increased investment into the international protection system, which has allowed for a major increase in processing capacity and the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Budget 2025 (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that the aim of prison education is to deliver a high quality, broad, flexible programme of education that supports people in custody to cope with their sentence, achieve personal development, prepare for life after release and establish an appetite and capacity for life-long learning. The Irish Prison Service seeks to deliver relevant programmes that cater for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Budget 2025 (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service seeks to offer a multi-disciplinary addiction support programme for people in custody. The Irish Prison Service acknowledges that addiction comes in many forms, from drug and / or alcohol addiction and dual diagnosis, through to gambling and other non-substance use addiction-related behaviour. People in custody have access to a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Safety (8 Oct 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, including the enforcement of road traffic legislation. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. I am advised by the Garda authorities that it is not possible to provide a weekly return of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: It has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time available. I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I have consistently stated that I want to make progress in restoring criminal legal aid fees. Over the past 2 years I have secured an 18% increase in the fees paid under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme. Under Budget 2024, I secured an additional €9 million which resulted in an increase of 10% in the fees paid to barristers and solicitors and under Budget 2025, announced last week, I...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act. There are no provisions for the spouse or partner of an Irish citizen to acquire Irish citizenship...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 387 and 388 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Judgments (8 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I contacted An Garda Síochána and the Court Service to request the information required to answer the Deputy's question and, as it was not available in the time permitted, I undertook to respond when the information was received. The following table has been provided by the Garda authorities and outlines the number of summons and charges which have been linked to Part 4 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Daylight Savings Time (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: Since 2001, summer time arrangements in the EU have been governed by EU Directive 2000/84/EC which sets out the obligation on all Member States to switch to summer time on the last Sunday of March and to switch back to their standard time (winter time) on the last Sunday of October. Following a resolution of the European Parliament in 2018, the European Commission proposed a change to this...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is not possible to provide the information requested as overdoses are not recorded centrally and such an exercise would require a manual examination of an inordinate number of individual records which is not possible given the current pressure on staff resources. The Deputy may also wish to know that the Self Harm Assessment and Data Analysis System...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: In line with all international guidance and expectations, the core of health services in the Irish Prison Service is based on the provision of effective and responsive primary care. A fundamental component of this provision is the availability of nursing staff in all closed prisons on a 24 hour basis each day of the year. Nurses are the largest cohort of professional health providers in most...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: My Department is unable to publish any information that would identify any person as being an international protection applicant. This is a separate matter to the law dealing with data protection matters more generally. My officials and I are legally obliged, under Section 26 of the International Protection Act 2015, to ensure that the identity of any person who applies for international...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Contracts (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: It has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time available. I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the distribution of resources, including the Garda fleet, across the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in this matter. However, to be of assistance I sought...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: On foot of the recommendations of the Judicial Planning Working Group, which I established in 2021 to consider the number and type of judges required to ensure the efficient administration of Justice over the next five years and with a view to the medium to long term, the Government committed to a historic increase in the number of judges. A first tranche of 24 additional judges was...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Reviews (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) is the body responsible for the regulation of the legal professions under the provisions of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015. Subject to the 2015 Act, the Authority shall be independent in the performance of its functions. Under Section 6 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015, the LSRA is, every three years, to commence a review of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that the application referred to was created on 17 October 2023. Supporting documentation was received in the Riyadh office on 13 November 2023. The application was received in the Abu Dhabi Visa Office on 8 February 2024 where it awaits examination and processing. I can advise the Deputy that in 2023, over 166,000 visa applications were submitted and approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (3 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: Firstly, I would again like to pay tribute to the rapid response of An Garda Síochána, and other emergency support services, who brought the unrest in November to a halt and restored order to the city quickly following the tragic events of that day. Obviously, there are ongoing Garda investigations into this matter and, in the days and months since, a total of 51 people have been...