Results 4,921-4,940 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Orders (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: A Court Order is a written document recording an official decision of the court on the issues raised by the parties to the court proceedings. It can be final (at the end of a hearing) or interim (which is in place until a final order can be made). A court order is legally binding, and must be honoured by any party to whom it is addressed. On granting a decree of divorce or at any time...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parole Boards (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: At present, the provisions of the Parole Act 2019 apply to those serving a sentence of imprisonment for life. Section 24(3) of the Parole Act 2019 provides that the Minister may introduce regulations prescribing eligibility criteria for applications for parole for those serving long-term fixed sentences. To date, no such regulations have been made. The Review of Policy Options for Prison...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parole Boards (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: The role of the Interim Parole Board was to review the cases of long term sentenced prisoners and make recommendations to the Minister in relation to the administration of those sentences; for the sake of clarity, it is worth emphasising that it was the Minister who made decisions in relation to such matters, rather than the Interim Parole Board. The interim Parole Board commenced operations...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 443, 444 and 445 together. As the Deputy will be aware, under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. Under Section 33 of the Act, the Commissioner determines the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government agreed to close the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) to further applications from 15 February 2023. As Minister, I do not comment on individual IIP applications, however, my Department’s IIP Unit is committed to ensuring that all applications will be examined on their own merits and will endeavour to conclude all decisions in a timely...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Official Travel (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: The table below sets out details of my official travel in 2023 and therefore relates to the period June 1 to December 31, 2023. Date Name Purpose of Travel Flight Details Flight Cost Accommodation Cost Per room Per Night 18.06.23 Minister McEntee British Irish Intergovernmental Conference...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: The visa application referred to by the Deputy was refused by the Visa Office on 31 October 2022. The reasons for this decision were set out in the refusal letter sent to the applicant on 02 November 2022. An appeal of this decision was received on 28 November 2022. All visa applicants are advised that the onus is on them to provide as much information in support of their application as they...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 449, 450 and 451 together. As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, which includes the enforcement of road traffic legislation and the recording of information on Garda IT systems. As Minister, I have no...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Penalty Points System (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: I have contacted An Garda Síochána for the information requested by the Deputy. Regrettably this information was not available in time and I will write to the Deputy again once the information is to hand

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including training and HR matters. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. I am advised by Garda authorities that CBD3 Level 3 Training...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: I have contacted An Garda Síochána for the information requested by the Deputy. Regrettably this information was not available in time and I will write to the Deputy again once the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (23 Jan 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. The prison system is under increasing pressure due to factors such as continuing population growth. I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service and my Department are committed to providing safe and secure custody for all people...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that there are 27 dedicated Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) Coordinators operational in all prisons. There are an additional 2 Integrated Sentence Management Coordinators assigned to the shared Irish Prison Service and Probation Service Co-Located Unit, who are dedicated to the sentence management of prisoners selected for participation in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, the Inspector of Prisons is a statutory office holder, independent in the performance of his functions, in accordance with the Prisons Act 2007. Section 31(1) of the Prisons Act 2007 places an obligation on the Inspector of Prisons to carry out regular inspections of prisons in Ireland. Under section 31(2) the Inspector may, and shall if so requested by the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (23 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: As I set out in my reply to the Deputy's question on January 17th, my Department has a very wide range of functions, and data may be legally shared with various public bodies for operational reasons. This data sharing can involve aggregated and/or individual-level information. Aggregated data is transferred by my Department for statistical and research purposes. This anonymous statistical...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Work Permits (18 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: I understand that this is a difficult situation for our Sudanese community and their loved ones. To apply for an Irish Travel Document an applicant must have one of the following permissions: Refugee under the International Protection Act 2015 (Refugee Document).Programme Refugee under Section 59 of the International Protection Act 2015.Subsidiary Protection under the International...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (18 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department. I understand the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants and my Department has been working hard to clear backlogs. It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sentencing Policy (18 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, a review of minimum sentences under section 29 of the Judicial Council Act 2019 was commenced by my Department in December 2021. I am pleased to say that the review is almost complete and I hope to be in a position to provide it to the Oireachtas shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Aviation Industry (18 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 241, 242 and 243 together. Section 2(1) of the Immigration Act 2003 places obligations on carriers to ensure that passengers travelling to the State are in possession of a valid travel document that establishes the person’s identity and nationality, and that they have the appropriate visa if required. The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Trafficking (18 Jan 2024)

Helen McEntee: Maintaining the integrity of the immigration system, involves robust controls to prevent illegal entry. People smuggling is the facilitated, irregular movement of people across borders for a financial or other benefit. While distinct from human trafficking, it is exploitative of vulnerable people and as we have seen, very often the way in which they are smuggled into countries places them...