Results 3,181-3,200 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: In 2022, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Health and my Department introduced changes to the working arrangements and immigration permissions for non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHD). These changes were intended to be beneficial to doctors who require such permissions and who have made an enormous contribution to the Irish health service. Since...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Joint Policing Committees (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: Our approach to community safety is a whole-of-Government one. We want to bring the relevant social service providers and the Gardaí together with the community in a collaborative manner, by focusing on the concerns identified by the local community itself. The Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) are provided for in Part 3 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 295 and 296 together. I can advise the Deputy that my Department provides indicative processing timeframes for certain immigration applications on the immigration website, www.irishimmigration.ie. It is important to note that these are business targets for the immigration service. Processing times for these applications will vary depending on the type and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: My Department operates the Third Level Graduate Programme which allows legally resident Irish educated non-EEA graduates who hold a level 8 or level 9 award from a recognised awarding body to remain in Ireland after their studies for a period of 12 or 24 months. This residence permission is for the purposes of seeking graduate level employment and applying for a suitable employment permit...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Programme (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: The introduction of the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 meets an important commitment made in the programme for Government to update existing incitement to hatred laws which pre-date online and social media communications, and to introduce hate crime offences for the first time in Ireland. However, I acknowledge that a number of concerns have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: Family reunification as provided for in S56 of the International Protection Act 2015, allows people granted International Protection to apply for certain family members to join them in the State. An application for family reunification must be made by the sponsor within 12 months of them being granted an International Protection permission and is subject to the provisions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Seekers (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: A bilateral agreement on Immigration Matters was put in place in 2001 between the Irish Government and the Federal Republic of Nigeria to establish a formal framework for readmissions and related immigration matters. While the agreement was never officially ratified by Nigeria, Ireland receives good cooperation from the Nigerian authorities on readmission of their citizens and both States...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: It has not been possible to respond to 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: Freedom of Information (25 Jun 2024)

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

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Irish Prison Service must accept into custody all people committed to prison by the Courts Service. As such, the Irish Prison Service has no control over the numbers committed to custody at any given time. I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of prisoners in custody in each of the prisons is published on a daily...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Wards of Court (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: Management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are 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. The Courts Service has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (25 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: An appeal under the Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants Scheme by the first and second named persons referred to by the Deputy was refused on 13 March 2024. A separate appeal from the third named person was refused on 23 February 2024. The persons concerned are the subject of a Deportation Order and any person subject to a Deportation Order can apply to the Minister, under...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sentencing Policy (20 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: I am interested in meeting the Deputy to go through the details and see what options are available.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: I would like to see more gardaí in Cork, as I would like to see more gardaí across the country. I want to see the numbers we have increase regardless of what the overall figure is now. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of personnel. Having said that, the unprecedented allocation of more than €2 billion for 2023 and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: We find ourselves in a position across the country where we have approximately 1,000 fewer gardaí than we should have. This is because the impact of Covid-19 meant no new recruits went into the college in Templemore for two years. We had gathered momentum in the recruitment campaigns at that stage and they had been producing significant numbers of new members. We are only back to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (20 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: Competitions are run on an ongoing basis. Panels are developed and then positions are filled. Where new Garda members go or where serving members are redirected must be a matter for the Garda Commissioner. My job is to ensure the Garda and its members have the resources they need, the support they need and, as far as I can ensure it, that more people are going through Templemore to train...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sentencing Policy (20 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: The US model of community courts received consideration within the Department some years ago and the concept has some similarities with the drug court which has operated in the Dublin District Court since 2001. Several jurisdictions have developed what are sometimes referred to as "problem-solving" courts. Models include community courts, drug courts and restorative programmes. These...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Drug Dealing (20 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: I assure the Deputy of my commitment and that of the Garda to dealing with all forms of drug dealing, be it individuals in the estates he mentioned or the larger organised crime groups. Of course, to deal with this on a national level, the Garda needs to make sure it does what it can, working with international partners. It also needs the resources to try and stop these loads coming into...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Drug Dealing (20 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: A form of vetting takes place where people are being placed in particular types of local authority housing. Beyond that, anybody can move into an area and this problem can arise. It is really important that the Garda is alerted to any issues that arise within the community. If people within the community have suspicions or indeed have evidence to show that drug dealing is taking place and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Drug Dealing (20 Jun 2024)

Helen McEntee: I say this from experience. In our own constituencies, we have all come across situations of families with children involved and there are different scenarios. It is therefore not as straightforward as moving people out of communities. However, where somebody is creating that level of fear and intimidation within an estate or a community, it is really important that the Garda responds and...