Results 6,401-6,420 of 15,342 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I might have to get back to Deputy Lawless on some of the detail of his question. The Northern Cross project is a commitment under the national development plan. It is included in the indicative schedule of works under the Garda capital plan, which runs from 2023 to 2030. The location of the site is the subject of discussion not just between the Garda and the OPW but also Dublin City...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The legislation, as the Deputy has said, has made significant changes. It was introduced to provide additional protection for people involved in prostitution. What we have seen in other jurisdictions is that the decriminalisation of brothel-keeping, which the Deputy and others have raised, actually creates a greater loophole that allows the likes of criminal gangs and others to profit but...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is an absolute priority for me and the rest of the Government. One of the key and central elements of the new zero-tolerance strategy is the establishment of the agency. I have given a commitment to have it up and running in January 2024, and we are on track for that to happen. On 28 February, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: Nobody is more devastated to see the numbers than I am, given my commitment to trying to address this issue, but we need to ensure we are not just responding but also putting in place structures to deal with this in the longer term. This is where the agency will be vital. We are going to replicate existing structures, working with the agency. We have a committee chaired by the Taoiseach,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. I know this is something she has been interested in for some time and I know I have responded to her on this previously. Section 27 of the Act provides for the review to which her question refers. We commissioned an independent consultant to undertake the statutory review but there have been a number of reasons, more particularly her work to complete the familicide...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy and agree the review is extremely important. The person in question was commissioned to do this review first. Subsequently, the other person in question passed away and this person was asked to complete that. It took much longer than anybody thought it would. Without saying names or getting into details it took much longer to do the familicide study. Anybody who has...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Crime Prevention (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy is aware, as he has acknowledged it previously, that safety is not just a matter for the Department and members of An Garda Síochána. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland recognised that community safety is not solely the responsibility of the Garda. Rather, it is a whole-of-government responsibility. This is key to the Policing, Security and Community...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Crime Prevention (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The role of the wardens will be to support gardaí and the community and not to arrest. Their role is to engage and observe. To say that nothing is happening is the perception or narrative that is being put out. We opened the new Garda station on O'Connell Street. This was something that we had prioritised to ensure there is visibility on our main thoroughfare. Since then there have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Crime Prevention (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: There is work under way. For example, Dublin City Council has given a commitment to look at the fact there is a consolidation of health services and supports, particularly for those with drug addiction problems in the city centre. It is examining what kind of impact this has on surrounding areas. We need to get this information first. Initial work was done on the time of day that street...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: Absolutely. It is a net increase overall, but we need it to be greater. Our Templemore figures were moving in a positive direction for two years. Unfortunately, though, they have slowed down.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The only way we will increase those numbers is by getting as many gardaí through Templemore as possible.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: Absolutely, but as can be seen from previous years, it takes time to start building momentum and to get a steady flow of candidates through Templemore. I agree that the 92, 135 and 154 are not the numbers we had hoped for, but we are moving in the right direction. In previous years, the situation progressed in this way and numbers came through steadily. We meet the Garda Commissioner...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: A number of steps are being taken to try to identify why members are leaving, but I must stress that over the past seven years the average number of members leaving and choosing different career paths has been between 0.5% and 0.7%. It is at just under 1% now, so there has not been a major loss of gardaí. There has been an increase in recruitment. There was a significant influx many...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: It is not that people have not applied. Rather, it is a question of going through the process. It will take time to achieve a steady flow. We can see that while it is not happening as quickly as I would like, the numbers are increasing and we are reaching the stage where we will have a steady flow. That is the priority. We are performing exit interviews with everyone who leaves and we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Antisocial Behaviour (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I assure the Deputy that the Government and I, as Minister, are determined to tackle antisocial behaviour and its causes. Antisocial behaviour, as we know, is a broad term often used to describe a range of actions and behaviours that violate social norms in specific contexts. While it is generally associated with young people, we cannot confine it to young people. A number of priority...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Antisocial Behaviour (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As I outlined at the outset, this is not just about younger people. I refer to all the measures I have mentioned already, such as the focus on the youth justice strategy and how we can prevent younger people from getting into crime or engaging in this type of antisocial behaviour. It is important that there are deterrents separate from those types of specific programmes, making sure we have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Antisocial Behaviour (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The work being done across the Department of Justice is not just focused on changing laws, supporting the Garda and the work it does; it also looks at penal policy reform and how we can stop this cycle of reoffending and get to the root causes, and that is about much more than the Garda. We are introducing what are called community safety partnerships. They look at the response to crime and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As I have just outlined to Deputy Daly, this is a priority for me in my engagement with the Garda Commissioner and his team. We are absolutely committed to building stronger, safer communities, and the role and the strength of the Garda will be key to that. We have allocated a budget of €2 billion for this year for An Garda Síochána. When it comes to recruitment,...

EU Regulation on the Transfer of Proceedings in Criminal Matters: Motion (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I thank the House for facilitating the motion and thank both Deputies for their contributions and for supporting it. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, this will introduce common rules on the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters, making it easier to transfer criminal proceedings from one member state to another. As it concerns cross-border procedures, I believe that where uniform...

EU Regulation on the Transfer of Proceedings in Criminal Matters: Motion (11 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following...