Results 5,841-5,860 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I meet with the representative organisations in formal settings but I also meet with them in informal settings at many different events throughout the year. I meet with them in the same way as any other Minister has met with them over the years. I also attend their national conferences. I therefore do engage with them but, at the same time, I am not their employer so I work and engage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: It is important to stress, regarding my own engagement with the representative associations, and the relationship between the Minister for Justice and those associations, that the Garda Commissioner is the head of An Garda Síochána. The Commissioner and his senior management meet and engage with the representative organisations on a regular basis, as should be the case. I, as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: On the first question, I do not for a second shy away from the fact that it is an extremely challenging job. The work that gardaí do, as the Commissioner alluded to earlier, has become more challenging. There have been more attacks on members and the types of incidents that gardaí have to respond to are hugely traumatic. There is also the fact that there has been a huge amount of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: I am not saying there are no issues. I have just said that there are issues but we are working to respond to the concerns that gardaí are raising. With a budget of €2.31 billion we are investing directly in them, responding to their health needs and their requirements, making sure that we have more of them to be able to spread the workload, and making sure the changes that are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: There are a number of approaches to this. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, and I are currently engaged in the development of a health-led approach that An Garda Síochána would apply. We are waiting for legal advice about a number of elements of that. Essentially, when people are caught with drugs for personal use, the case would be approached in a different way, but at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: Looking at a health-led approach was committed to in the programme for Government, so it is not new. It has been committed to and responded to for some time. We are at the early stages of it and acknowledging what has come out of the citizens' assembly, it is the approach committed to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: No, we are not drafting legislation. We are looking at the overall policy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2023)

Helen McEntee: On morale, I acknowledge there are issues in the organisation, as there are in any organisation. Many of the measures that have been put in place, from additional funding to new policies, and from supporting gardaí to increasing overall numbers, were put in place to respond to existing challenges. On pay and conditions, An Garda Síochána is now part of the Building Momentum...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (26 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: An application for an Extension of Student Conditions (ESTC) permission was received from the person referred to by the Deputy on 12 September 2023. To be fair to all applicants, applications are dealt with in chronological order by date received. My Department endeavours to process applications as quickly as possible. However, processing times may vary due to a number of factors, such as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (26 Oct 2023)

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. The IIP Unit has published an FAQ document concerning the closure of the programme on my Department's Immigration Services website, which will be updated with any further questions arising from the closure, and is available here:...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (26 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that the application referred to was created on the 4 February 2023. Supporting documentation was received in the Nairobi office on the 3 March 2023. The application was received in the Dublin visa office on the 21 April 2023, where it awaits examination and processing. Long Stay Join Family visa applications are processed in accordance with the guidelines set out...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Procurement Contracts (26 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: 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, including the procurement of vehicles for the Garda fleet. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. All Garda vehicles are purchased under contracts tendered by the Office of Government...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including all operational policing matters. As Minister, I have no role in these matters. I understand the Deputy is referring to Operation Fleming which was established to investigate...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: The unprecedented allocation of over €2.3 billion to An Garda Síochána for 2024, up 23 per cent since 2020, demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring the Gardaí have provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work. Following Budget 2024, I announced that this allocation would allow for the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (26 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: As advised in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 384 of 17 October 2023, the person referred to by the Deputy has no valid immigration permission to remain in the State. It is important that persons keep their immigration permission up to date if they wish to continue to reside in the State. Where a person remains resident in the State without an immigration permission, I encourage...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (26 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: I am advised that the person referred to by the Deputy has previously made applications for naturalisation, however, those applications were refused on the grounds that the applicant did not have the required reckonable residence as set out in the 1956 Act as amended. The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and...

Seanad: Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Spiking) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Acting Chairperson for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I thank my colleagues in the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party and the Fine Gael Seanad group for tabling this legislation and for working so proactively on it. I am delighted to have the opportunity to discuss it as I did not have the opportunity previously. The Bill stems from an initiative by Young Fine Gael. I...

Seanad: Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Spiking) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (25 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: Just to say that the advice that I have received from the Garda, the Director of Public Prosecutions and Forensic Science Ireland is relatively recent, so we still have to go through it. My intention is to meet with colleagues and Young Fine Gael to look at what is the best vehicle or pathway to bring this issue forward. I hope to do it as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Consultations (25 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: It has not been possible to collate the information requested in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly when this information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 Oct 2023)

Helen McEntee: The unprecedented allocation of over €2.3 billion to An Garda Síochána for 2024, up 23 per cent since 2020, demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring the Gardaí have provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work. Following Budget 2024, I announced that this allocation would allow for the...