Results 581-600 of 8,940 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Through the Programme for Government and the Youth Justice Strategy, I am committed to improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality through investment in youth justice services. The Garda Youth Diversion Programme is provided for in the Children's Act 2001. The Diversion Programme is supported by a network of Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs). YDPs are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. Under Section 33 of the Act, the Commissioner is responsible for the distribution and stationing of the Garda Síochána throughout the State. As...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and strengthening An Garda Síochána is at the core of that. We will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe, including to invest in recruitment, in equipment and technology and in buildings. This is reflected in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: A Review Group, chaired by Mr. Justice Peter Kelly, was appointed to make recommendations for changes with a view to improving access to civil justice in the State, promoting early resolution of disputes, reducing the cost of litigation, creating a more responsive and proportionate system and ensuring better outcomes for court users. The Review Group’s report, published in 2020,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: This is a complex area relating to a number of areas of law including company law, tort law, civil liability, criminal law and property law. Unincorporated associations comprise a range of voluntary non-profit associations, clubs, societies and groups of persons who associate together in pursuit of one or more stated, lawful, non-commercial purpose. Unincorporated associations do not...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: There has been much work done to date to enhance the prison infrastructure, provide additional capacity, and explore alternatives to prison. The Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, commits to continued action in this area, including the construction of a prison at Thornton Hall. I have already engaged with the Irish Prison Service on the issue of additional...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As the Deputy will be aware, over the past 2 years, there has been an 18% increase in the fees paid under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme. The budget for criminal legal aid increased in 2025 by over €9m, which includes an 8% increase in fees from 1 January 2025. This is in addition to the 10% increase in fees secured in Budget 2024. The Programme for Government contains a commitment...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Consultations (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1212 and 1213 together. My Department holds meetings with individual firearms organisations on request and engages with various firearms stakeholders in other ways, and An Garda Síochána also meets with stakeholder organisations in respect of relevant matters. Reform of the firearms licensing system has been under consideration for a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1214 and 1215 together. I can assure the Deputy that my Department works diligently to detect instances where visa applicants submit false or misleading information. My Department's Immigration Service website advises all applicants that if they include false or misleading information in their application, they will be refused. They are also advised that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I understand that extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants and I want to assure anyone who has made an application for a join family visa that my Department is doing everything possible to progress these applications as quickly as possible. The entitlement to family reunification varies depending on the permission granted to the sponsor of the application. In comparison to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: 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, particularly considering the current processing times. I want to assure anyone who has an application for naturalisation submitted that the Citizenship Division of my Department is doing everything...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Irish Prison Service has advised that information regarding prison capacity is published on its website (www.irishprisons.ie). This information can be found in the Information Centre under Statistics & Information, Daily Prisoner Population. The operational capacity of each prison is outlined in the table below. Prison Bed Capacity Mountjoy...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), which includes all operational policing matters. As Minister, I play no role in these independent functions. I am informed by Garda management that assessments of the impact of criminal feuds on community safety are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sentencing Policy (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: There are no quick-fix solutions to tackling knife crime. Long term, evidence-based strategies are needed to address knife crime as part of a wider strategic response to anti-social behaviour, street violence, youth offending and domestic violence. A sub-group of the Anti-Social Behaviour Forum, chaired by then Minister of State Browne, was established to consider further action to tackle...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Social Media (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Online safety is a whole of Government issue, with responsibility for relevant measures shared across a number of Departments and agencies. Coimisiún na Meán has been established further to the provisions of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 and operates under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The Act...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department is responsible for frontline Immigration at Dublin Airport. Other airports and other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). In Dublin Airport in 2024, 5,255 people were refused leave to land of which 4,317 indicated they were, or were identified as, being in need of international protection. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Information and Communications Technology (19 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: My Department complies with the “Interim Guidelines for Use of AI in the Public Service” issued by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in February 2024 and also with guidance issued to all Government Departments in June 2023 by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in relation to the cyber security aspects. In line with our modernisation of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (6 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: This Government will be resolute in its support of Gardaí. We want to build safe and secure communities, and a well-resourced An Garda Síochána is critical to achieving that. The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years and I have spoken already with the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service (6 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can assure that any threats of the nature described by the Deputy are treated as serious and appropriate action is taken by the Courts Service, including reporting any such incidents to An Garda Síochána for the purposes of investigation and criminal prosecution where appropriate. As specific security safeguards in relation to staff, legal practitioners and witnesses...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Rights (6 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Deputy will be aware that the question raised concerns an investigation conducted almost 50 years ago and which culminated in the Courts overturning the convictions of two people in 1980; a pardon for one individual in 1992; and the payment of financial settlements. At the time, this case undeniably cast a shadow on the trust we place in our criminal justice and policing systems to...