Results 21-40 of 8,917 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: One of the issues that was considered by the Department was whether we would include in the legislation a serious harm test as at present applies in England and Wales. It was decided that it would not be introduced or proposed in respect of personal plaintiffs, people who claim that they were defamed. The reason it was not proposed to look for a serious harm test is that the experience in...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am not looking around for entities that are supportive of this but there clearly are. Deputy Sherlock previously mentioned ISME. I suspect ISME is important but they are not the guiding people. I do not look for outside bodies to dictate to me as to what I should or should not do in the Houses of the Oireachtas. Ultimately, it was in the Fianna Fáil manifesto, it is part of the...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Deputies for their contributions. I will try to deal with the issues they raised. Deputy Carthy spoke about the definition of "periodical" in section 3. I am happy to give consideration to an amendment, if the Deputy tables it on Report Stage, which he has indicated he will do. At present, however, I am not fully aware of the detail of what he proposed but, as I said, I will...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Is that the definition of "periodical"?

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Similarly, there are many great advantages to being a member of a political party but there are also disadvantages, as I am sure the other Deputies here will acknowledge. One of the consequences of membership of a political party is the need for compromise. There has been a general election since the Second Stage debate. Fianna Fáil put forward a manifesto, which I supported. It...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank colleagues for their contributions, to which I will respond to presently. This is the first opportunity I have had since I was appointed as Minister for Justice to speak on the Defamation (Amendment) Bill. I was not, as is apparent, Minister for Justice when the House debated Second Stage. It is important that I, as Minister, acknowledge the difficult role the Oireachtas is...

EU Regulations: Motion (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following...

Seanad: Protection of Retail Workers Bill 2025: Second Stage (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for bringing forward the Bill. It is the second time during her tenure as a Senator in this term that she has raised the issue of retail crime with me. I discussed the issue with her on a previous occasion a number of weeks ago. I also want to commend and acknowledge the other Senators who have spoken. This is the second time I have been before this House in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service continually monitors the staffing requirements of, and vacancies that arise in, the organisation. The Irish Prison Service routinely reviews the resource requirement across the estate based on the prisoner cohort and the expanding prison population. The staff requirement has increased to meet demand on the service. Recruitment...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am advised by my officials in the Irish Prison Service that the average annual cost of an available, staffed prison space during the calendar year 2024 was €99,072. This includes net expenditure incurred within the year (such as salaries, utilities/ maintenance, ICT, prison services, etc.) excluding capital expenditure on buildings, ICT and vehicle purchases. Further, I have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: There is a Crime Prevention Officer attached to each Garda Division. As of 5 March 2025, the latest date for which figures are available, there are 37 Crime Prevention Officers in the country. Information in relation to Crime Prevention Officer's is publicly available on the Garda.ie website and can be found at the following link: .

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the allocation of additional resources for specialist units within An Garda Síochána, including the Garda dog unit, is reviewed on a continual basis. The purchase and allocation of vehicles is made on the basis of identified operational demands and the availability of resources. The table below has been provided to me by the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I have been advised by CAB that a review was recently conducted of the Divisional Asset Profilers on a National basis. Since training commenced a total of 628 members of An Garda Síochána have completed the Criminal Assets Bureau Divisional Assets Profiler course. The review indicated that a number of trained Divisional Asset Profilers are now inactive for various reasons...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: 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. Accelerated processing was introduced in November 2022 and it now applies to those from designated safe countries of origin, applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe and citizens of countries...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Anti-Racism Measures (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Transposition of Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia was formally notified to the European Commission before the deadline in November 2010. In 2014, the Commission published a report on the implementation of the Framework Decision, which outlined concerns over correct transposition in over a dozen EU...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 114 and 115 together. Road safety is a shared responsibility. The whole of Government response is led by the Department of Transport and is taken very seriously across Government. An Garda Síochána plays a vital role in enforcing road traffic law and in making our roads safer for all road users, including vulnerable road users. Road traffic...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I understand that the Correctional Research Symposium (CRS) is an international conference co-organised by EuroPris - a network of European prison agencies and the International Corrections and Prisons Association (IACP). I am advised that the symposium is dedicated to research in the field of community and institutional corrections and prisons. CRS provides a platform for exchange among...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Trafficking (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The prevention, detection and prosecution of the crime of human trafficking is a priority for me and for this Government. A number of significant measures have been taken to combat human trafficking, to create a more victim-centred approach to identifying and supporting victims; to raise public awareness and provide training to relevant people including professionals to detect, understand...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. A strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy. The Garda Vote in Budget 2025 includes unprecedented funding of over €2.48 billion, representing a 27% increase since 2020. This investment supports the continued enhancement of the Garda fleet, ensuring...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (30 Apr 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 375 of 20 March 2025 where you sought: “To ask the Minister for Justice the number of competitions held for sworn Gardaí to apply to join Garda National Immigration Bureau in 2024 and to date in 2025; the number of vacancies, by rank, that were available during each of those competitions; and the number of Gardaí, by rank, that applied...