Results 461-480 of 11,589 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Probation and Welfare Service (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Young Person Probation (YPP) is an operational region of the Probation Service that assesses and supervises approximately 750 children referred to it each year. YPP Probation Officers work with children in the community, in detention and post-detention. Within YPP, there are three dedicated teams, Dublin North, Dublin South and Cork/Limerick. Probation Service staff working in this region...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: The State is currently accommodating nearly 33,000 people who have applied for international protection in Ireland, 9,500 of whom are children. At the moment, approximately 5,000 people in IPAS accommodation have a legal status allowing them to remain in Ireland. This is not a static number of people; approximately 10,000 people with status have moved out of IPAS accommodation since...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is currently accommodating nearly 33,000 residents in over 320 international protection accommodation centres around the country. The Department receives offers of international protection accommodation on an ongoing basis from external commercial providers. All offers are reviewed by the Department under a standardised appraisal...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: I can assure the Deputy it is my intention to continue the investment in the end-to-end international protection process to speed up decision making. In 2024 the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 14,000 first decisions compared to over 8,500 in 2023, while the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) closed around 3,100 appeals in 2024 compared to over 1,700 in...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: The State is currently accommodating almost 33,000 people in over 320 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country, 9,500 of whom are children. The data requested is set out in the tables attached. The Department receives regular offers of accommodation from external commercial providers and does not predetermine their geographical location. All offers...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: The Department can confirm that the property listed in the detail supplied has been in use as an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre since July 2023. Renewed contracts relating to this premises were formalised in July 2024. The Department conducts all contractual negotiations on the basis of there being no guarantee of the continuity of a contract beyond its end date....

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

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 709 to 716, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will understand, there is a requirement on the Irish Prison Service to increase staffing levels to meet the current demand on the service. Recruitment campaigns are put in place as required, and since 2016 the Irish Prison Service, in conjunction with the Public Appointments Service, has run eight Recruit...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: 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 (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I understand that Parliamentary Question No 706 of 20 May 2025 sought the number of occasions that An Garda Síochána have hired out an external forensic archaeologist to carry out work on its behalf, in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. I can confirm that the reply to the Deputy's follow on Parliamentary Question, No 646 of 24 June 2025, has issued from my office to...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: I am advised by the Garda authorities that Traffic Watch is a partnership approach to reducing the number of road collisions and fatalities. It brings road users, An Garda Síochána, the Road Safety Authority and other stakeholders together in a united and sustained effort to improve safety on our roads. As part of An Garda Síochána’s ongoing commitment to road...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) is an independent 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 is independent in the performance of its functions. Under Section 6 of the 2015 Act, the LSRA is required to periodically carry out a review of the Act and,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Policies (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: My Department does not engage in transactions for the purchase of such location data. I would note that the sale of data by real-time bidding platforms is not illegal, but all parties involved in such transactions must abide by all of their legal responsibilities, including those set out in Data Protection legislation. While I am not aware of any instances in which an agency in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Government is committed to ensuring that communities are safe. Tackling anti-social behaviour is an important part of that commitment. The Government is taking a number of ongoing actions to ensure safer communities and public spaces, including:Getting more Gardaí on our streets through increased recruitment.Introducing Community Safety Partnerships around the country, to develop...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service has accepted the ruling of the Civil Service Arbitration Board in relation to this matter, including the backdating of pay adjustments. I am further advised that clarification has been sought from the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on the implementation of the ruling and a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Dublin Airport Authority (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy will appreciate it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the detail of communications with An Garda Síochána in relation to specific incidents or operations. Moreover aviation security matters are highly confidential and are not put into the public domain for that reason. That said, the protection of the travelling public is the first priority of airport...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 726 and 727 together. It is important to note that, given the sensitive nature of the information involved, domestic violence applications are heard "otherwise than in public" in accordance with section 23 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018. Given the sensitive nature of the information involved, section 19 of the Act sets out the persons on whom copies...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Government and I recognise the serious impact that domestic abuse can have on housing security for victims of such heinous behaviour. Current legislation provides, under the Domestic Violence Act 2018, that the court shall not make a barring order in respect of the place where the applicant resides where the respondent has a legal or beneficial interest in that place and the applicant...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Antisocial Behaviour (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 729 and 730 together. I strongly condemn the use of knives to threaten, intimidate or harm others. The Government is committed to ensuring that the problems that we have seen in neighbouring jurisdictions do not repeat themselves here. In 2021, a sub-group of the Anti-Social Behaviour Forum, chaired by then Minister of State James Browne, was established...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Antisocial Behaviour (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Programme for Government commits to publishing a Retail Crime Strategy with targeted actions to reduce retail crime and support affected businesses. Work has already commenced on preparing this Strategy. I met with, and heard from, the retail community earlier this year on this matter. My Department will shortly hold a targeted stakeholder engagement event with members of the Retail...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Schools Building Projects (30 Sep 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: At the outset, it is important to note that, as Minister, I do not comment on individual Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) applications. Since the closure of the programme, my Department has continued to process and submit applications to the Evaluation Committee for consideration and recommendation. My Department is committed to ensuring that all applications will be examined on their...