Results 6,621-6,640 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The person referred to by the Deputy created on-line Join Family visa application on 21 March 2023. The supporting documentation and relevant fees were applied on 03 April 2023 in the New Delhi visa office. This visa applications were withdrawn by way of letter on 24 April 2023. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Rights of the Child (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143, 144 and 145 together. The Government is firmly committed to ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023, which I will publish this month, will remove the final obstacles to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Reviews (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware I published the majority report and the minority report of the Independent Review Group appointed to examine all aspects of the Offences Against the State Acts on 21 June following consideration by Government. Given the importance of the Acts as the State's primary counter-terrorism legislation over many decades, any proposals for reform must be thoroughly...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: State Bodies (5 Jul 2023)

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

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that it is open to persons who have been legally resident in Ireland for a minimum of five years as the holder of an employment permit issued by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to apply for Long Term Residency permission. To qualify under this scheme, applicants must show legal residency in Ireland based on employment permit conditions as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Antisocial Behaviour (5 Jul 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 recording of information on the Garda IT system. As Minister, I have no role in these matters. I have been informed by Garda authorities that there is no specific crime incident type...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Work Permits (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I can inform that officials in my Department are in ongoing communication with the organisation referred to regarding the issues of concern raised and that the Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) applications from organisation continue to be processed. I am informed that further documentation was requested on a number of applications, as the information supplied did not meet the requirements set...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that in Parliamentary Question No. 154 of 21 June 2023, you requested the number of deportation orders 'granted' and those 'fully executed'. In my response I provided those statistics for the period 2018 to YTD 2023 rather than the period 2020 to YTD as requested in order to provide a greater comparator of the data to take account of the suspension of deportations...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Communications Surveillance (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I understand that Deputy is referring to the order of the High Court granted by Mr Justice Owens pursuant to section 3A of the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 (as amended by the Communications (Retention of Data)(Amendment) Act 2022) on 26 June 2023. The order requires service providers to retain data in all of the categories specified in Schedule 2 of the Act for a period of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Equipment (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: My Department conducts software asset management processes to quantify software licence liabilities at regular intervals. Any shortfalls identified during this process are addressed by the purchase of additional licencing where required.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Probate Applications (5 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Probate Office is an office of the High Court. Under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in its functions. Probate functions are also carried out by County Registrars at District Probate Registries in 14 provincial court offices, and these office holders are...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Senator. As he rightly outlined, section 13 provides for the selection and recommendation of lay members of the commission by the Public Appointments Service, PAS, for appointment by the Minister. It stipulates categories of knowledge and experience that the service shall have regard to in selecting lay members. Subsection (7) provides that the Minister may designate that a...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: We always have to think ahead, but statute never knows who or what Minister will be in place when legislation is being passed through. However, we do have to try to plan for potential eventualities if for no reason other than a date is set with every intention that the names were to go before the Houses. That is an option available to me, as Minister, or to any other Minister who operates...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: This amendment is similar to another amendment the Senator tabled to section 41 on the prohibition of canvassing. We need to ask the question as to how far we should go. We have tried to clearly state that anybody who is working on the commission or working in an office who is part of the overall process should not share that information or be careless such as leaving it on the bus or even...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The Senator is right; the damage is done by the time it is published. That is why we are trying to prevent it from being published.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: No, it does not. If it is published, the damage has been done.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: We are trying to prevent it from getting to that stage. We have a €50,000 fine and the potential for five years in prison. The fault lies squarely with the person who shares the information. It is not just "Prime Time", the Irish Independentor the Daily Mail. What happens if somebody finds such material on a bus and decides to share it on Facebook, as does the next person and the...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: The approach taken here is somewhat similar to the previous approach with regard to how far you cast out the net.Generally, when we talk about canvassing prohibition, it would normally apply to the person himself or herself who was seeking appointment, whatever role is being talked about. Whether it is through the Public Appointments Service or otherwise, it would generally apply to the...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I have not said it is fine for people to publish. In fact, I said the opposite - that we want to prevent it getting into the hands of people who would publish it. That is why there were such severe penalties in the previous iteration. In relation to canvassing, we are putting in place a very clear structure and a system in which the commission must outline the process it goes through, the...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: We discussed this matter previously. The Senator referred to the sequencing and the time it took to make various appointments. In practice, the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board, JAAB, issues a call for applications annually. It provides-----