Results 401-420 of 11,583 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Of course it does not but notwithstanding that, if we manage to put ourselves in a situation where we are not making the information available it cannot then subsequently be sold on. This is a recommendation I make. It is certainly inappropriate for it to be sold on and I know the DPC is looking at it. Further engagement will take place in respect of it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I have not noticed any elbows out at Cabinet when it comes to budget negotiations. In fairness to Ministers, their objective is to try to ensure they can get sufficient resources to fund their Department for the year ahead. In my area of justice, it is something I am seeking to do but I also have to be conscious and responsible that we need to keep restraint on public spending....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is unfair of her to describe the budget introduced last year as "a giveaway on steroids". When the one-off measures were introduced, I do not recall anyone in opposition describing them as that. In fact, they were wholeheartedly accepted and there was no criticism of them by Opposition Members.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Child poverty is an extremely important issue from the point of view of the Government. I have no doubt that when Members see the budget that will be announced next week they will see recognition given to the importance of child poverty from the Government's point of view. In terms of a second tier of children's allowance, as the Deputy identified, I cannot give an assurance or confirmation...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: All of the contracts are being reviewed as they are come up for expiration. That is why I have managed to bring about a situation where we have achieved savings of over €50 million this year as a result of renegotiating 100 contracts. The Deputy asked whether or not I accept the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General. It is apparent from the report and if the Deputy...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: -----that in respect of each recommendation, the response of the Department of justice is agreed. We agree with the findings set out in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report. What we need to do, however, is to try to ensure that we can reduce the cost on the State. We have a new rate card in place which will ensure we pay lesser amounts for the accommodation. The new...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I will certainly ensure there are efficiencies in the system. I am achieving efficiencies in the system. I want to get more State accommodation purchased but we need to recognise that when the contracts are coming up for negotiation, I and my Department will ensure that we get the best deal possible for the State.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Deputy for her question. I did see the “Prime Time” programme two weeks ago and I thought it was very concerning. It was an issue of considerable concern to me, not that fact that I or, indeed, other politicians were identified in it, but the potential that was there for brokers, of whom we were unaware, to sell on the market details about an individual’s...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Deputy for her question. I welcome that yesterday the Comptroller and Auditor General's published his report for 2024. One of the items in it, as she identified, was a chapter on the management of IPAS contracts. That report is helpful because it sets out, what no doubt the Deputy believes as well as I believe, how spending on IPAS has increased significantly in recent years....

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I think I had indicated everything I wanted to say. I am conscious that it was last July we were here, so just to remind people, the amendments we are talking about seek to change the situation in respect of the proposal to abolish juries. One of the points I mentioned the last time is that the law at present is that the plaintiff, the person taking the defamation action, can decide whether...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I will make a brief one. I suppose the point Senator Stephenson is making is a court could direct that a defamation action would be heard with a jury, if it were in the interests of justice to make such an order. Again, how is a court supposed to determine that one case should be heard by a jury in the interests of justice and the other should not? We would need to have a statutory scheme...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Senator McDowell for his interesting contribution. At the heart of it is his submission that the proposal within the Bill is illogical because we will have a situation where defamation actions will now not be heard by a jury, whereas other actions, such as assault, could be heard by a jury. It is important to emphasise at the outset that when you look at the civil law system that...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: They might be told they are better off going in front of a jury because overwhelmingly the jury is going to like and respect them. However, that gives a distortion to what the administration of justice is about. It is not the administration of popularity. Cases are not determined on the basis of who is more popular or who is less popular. Cases are determined and justice is administered...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Senators McDowell and Ruane for their contributions. For anyone watching, it is important to point out that this is not just Senator McDowell's amendment. I do not want to give the impression that he is a lone voice here. This amendment has been put down by Senators McDowell, Boyhan, Clonan, Conway, McCarthy and Keogan. All those Senators want to retain juries in the High Court....

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Senator McDowell and the other Senators for putting forward this amendment. The objective here is to try to deal with a situation which can arise when, if defamation is removed from a jury, it will still be permissible to be heard by a jury if other causes of action which are heard by juries are taken. Senator McDowell's example probably expresses it most clearly. He says if this...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Directives (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: In 2016 the first EU-wide law on cyber security, the NIS Directive, came into force achieving a higher, and more even level of security of network and information systems across the EU. The NIS Directive was reviewed in 2019 and its successor the NIS2 Directive entered into force in January 2023. The transposition deadline for the NIS2 Directive was 17 October 2024, which unfortunately...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Directives (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The NIS2 Directive entered into force in January 2023 and the enactment of the National Cyber Security Bill, which is the legislative vehicle transposing the NIS2 Directive is a priority for my Department. Officials from my Department provided the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration with a briefing on the General Scheme of the National Cyber Security Bill on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Directives (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The NIS2 Directive entered into force in January 2023 and the enactment of the National Cyber Security Bill, which is the legislative vehicle transposing the NIS2 Directive is a priority for my Department. My Department is currently engaging with the Office of Parliamentary Council, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and other relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 to 120, inclusive, together. The organisation mentioned in the details supplied are contracted to provide international protection accommodation for international protection (IP) applicants. Since 2024, once a centre is in operation, IPAS has not published details of the specific locations or the capacity or occupancy of our accommodation centres. This...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (1 Oct 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 123 and 124 together. Family reunification (FRU) is provided for under Section 56 of the International Protection Act 2015, and allows people granted International Protection status to apply for certain family members to join them in the State. An application for FRU must be made by the sponsor within 12 months of them being granted an International...