Results 4,461-4,480 of 15,342 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy is right, in that the figures show that many gardaí from recent intakes have gone to Dublin, particularly when there has been a greater need. What we do not see in those figures is that transfers are now taking place, with some gardaí based in Dublin transferring out to other counties. The figures show one or two going directly from Templemore to those counties, but I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: We always said that there would be five classes last year. The first class was slightly earlier than this year's class. While the December class came out a few weeks earlier, that was to ensure that we had a presence. It was always going to be before the end of the year, though. There were always going to be the five intakes, and we had factored that in from the beginning of the year....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: International Protection (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: My Department and I are taking every necessary step to manage the international protection process as efficiently and effectively as we can while ensuring that the integrity of the process is maintained at all times. During 2023, the number of applications was 13,277. While this was a slight decrease of 3% on 2022, it still represented an increase of 177% on the number that was received pre...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Immigration Support Services (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: The simple answer is that the service will continue to engage. The service has operated since 2008 to assist Oireachtas Members to make representations on behalf of their constituents in respect of individual immigration applications. Since its establishment, the service has dealt with almost 80,000 requests. Last year alone, it answered more than 6,600 queries with more than 90% of these...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Immigration Support Services (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. A number of measures are in train to try to reduce any backlog. This is the concern that people have and why they come to us asking where their application is in the system. There are no plans to expand what is being responded to. The only other option is international protection. Under the 2015 Act, we cannot identify or provide information to somebody other than...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Immigration Support Services (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: We are continually investing in the overall immigration system. There has been a particular focus on the IPO because of the significant increase in the number of international protection applicants. We have almost doubled the number of staff. This has allowed us to improve the systems. I need to make sure that any of the other applications or routes do not suffer time-wise. This is why...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: Community safety is a top priority for my Department and everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in their communities. Community CCTV plays a vital role in achieving this goal. As the Deputy may be aware, since 2017 my Department has administered a grant-aid scheme supporting groups wishing to establish a community-based CCTV system in their area. The CCTV grant scheme was extended in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: From the outset I would like to assure the Deputy that the development of a substantial new Garda station and facilities on Dublin City Council lands at the corner of the R139 and the Malahide Road at Northern Cross is considered a strategic priority project by An Garda Síochána, and has the full support of Government. The Office of Public Works (OPW) are leading on this project...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: One of the overarching goals of the Zero Tolerance Strategy to address domestic, sexual and gender based violence (DSGBV), is ensuring that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one, and Government has committed to working with the sector to double the number of refuge spaces over the lifetime of the strategy, bringing it to 280 by the end of 2026. The Government agreed to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Substance Misuse (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, the Government’s approach to the misuse of drugs is set out in Ireland’s National Drug Strategy, ‘Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery’. This is a health-led approach to drug and alcohol use in Ireland, and it represents a whole-of-Government response to reduce demand and associated harms. The Government is also committed to limiting access to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Work Permits (22 Feb 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: In 2024, I have provided a budget allocation of over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána. This is a 25% increase on 2020 and will allow for the sustained recruitment of between 800 to 1,000 new Garda recruits in 2024. At the end of December last, there were just under 14,000 Gardaí. While this reflects a decrease over the course of the pandemic, it represents an increase...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Coroners Service (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Coroners (Amendment) Act 2024, which the President signed into law on 16 February, is intended to ensure continuity of coroner services in the Dublin district. The Dublin district had been operating on the basis of temporary provisions not suited to the needs of a bust office or the development of a high quality service into the future. More broadly, I am committed to bringing proposals...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Investigations (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: 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 Shane O'Farrell, aged 23 in August 2011 was published...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Reviews (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: I acknowledge the Deputy’s ongoing interest in this work. It is generally recognised that prostitution is inherently exploitative of vulnerable persons, mainly women and girls, and that many people are forced into prostitution through trafficking, drug addiction, homelessness and poverty. A key purpose for the 2017 Sexual Offences Act was to provide additional protection to persons...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy may be aware, the training and education of the solicitor profession is the statutory function of the Law Society of Ireland under the Solicitors Acts 1954 to 2008. I have no role in that process. I am, however, aware that the number of solicitors in Ireland has grown significantly in recent years with 23,323 solicitors on the Roll of Solicitors maintained by the Law Society in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. An Garda Síochána has been allocated unprecedented funding of over €2.35 billion for 2024, a 25% increase since 2020 allowing for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff. As the Deputy is aware, it is the responsibility of Garda management to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: State Pardons (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, a detailed application for posthumous Presidential pardons for the two individuals referenced by the Deputy was submitted by the Castleisland District Heritage incorporating the Michael O’Donohue Memorial Project in December 2021. An internal review within the Department with regard to the application has been completed and an independent expert in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Programme (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Government Legislation Programme for the Spring 2024 Session was published on 16 January. As set out in the Legislation Programme, my Department has five priority Bills for publication as follows: Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill.This Bill will codify certain police powers and procedural rights of suspects. It aims to rationalise and modernise those powers to take account of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (22 Feb 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Prison Service does not have the option of refusing committals and must accept all people committed by the courts and the prison system is under increasing pressure. On 16 February 2024, there were 4,783 prisoners in custody, of whom 122 were accommodated on mattresses on cell floors. While the provision of single cell accommodation is not something...