Results 681-700 of 8,940 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Government is committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources needed to keep people safe. This is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2.48 billion in Budget 2025. This is allowing for sustained investment in recruitment, equipment, technology, and vehicles. Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (4 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. Operation Táirge was launched in December 2023 by Assistant Commissioner, Roads Policing & Community...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the distribution of resources, including Garda fleet, across the various Garda Divisions and National/Specialist Units. As Minister, I have no direct role in this matter. The Government is committed to providing An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reports (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Following the serious public order incident in Dublin City Centre in November 2023, An Garda Síochána conducted an operational debrief to identify any lessons to be learned and to inform the development of future policing operations and responses. Additionally, my predecessor, Minister McEntee, requested the Policing Authority to conduct a review and advise on what else might...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff, under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). As Minister, I have no direct role in the Garda recruitment process. I am regularly appraised of the progress being made and measures being taken to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department. This application is based on Section 16 'Irish Association', which can take typically longer to process than applications based upon residency. Section 15 of the Act sets out the statutory conditions that must be fulfilled for a certificate of naturalisation to be granted....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Passport Services (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: A person can become an Irish citizen if one of their parents was an Irish citizen at the time of their birth, even though they were not born on the island of Ireland, or through an Irish national grandparent born in Ireland. In such cases, a person can become an Irish citizen through Foreign Birth Registration. Once a person is entered onto the Foreign Births Register they are an Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Investigations (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 535 and 536 together. I can assure the Deputy that the Government affords the highest priority to the State's security. Like any other democratic state, Ireland is not immune from the risk posed by hostile state activity including efforts by such states to exert influence. Our security services are very alive to that risk and keep their response under...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Bodies (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: My Department has responsibility for public policy in respect of the security of the State and public safety, including the prevention and detection of crime, the criminal justice system, the administration of justice, the management of inward migration and international protection processes, the provision of important regulatory services and ongoing reform of civil and criminal law. My...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the distribution of resources in the Garda fleet across the various Garda Divisions and National/Specialist Units. As Minister, I have no direct role in this matter. The Government is committed to providing An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parliamentary Questions (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can assure the Deputy that I place a high value on the importance of parliamentary questions to ensure that Government and its Ministers are held accountable by the elected Members of Dáil Éireann. All parliamentary questions tabled to me as Minister are answered in accordance with the standing orders of Dáil Éireann. Since my appointment as Minister on 23...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: As part of my Department’s continued commitment to improving its services, an online citizenship application process was made available in October 2023. This has made the application process easier for applicants, allowing them to easily fill in relevant forms, make payments and submit their application on line. The Citizenship Division of my Department receive a significant number...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (4 Mar 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is important to note that restricting a person’s liberty is a serious issue, given the Constitutional presumption that a person is deemed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The Bail Act contains robust provisions on both dealing with and pre-empting breaches of bail. Where an individual fails to comply with any bail conditions, the judge may issue a bench warrant,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Bodies (27 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is a central priority for myself, my Department and this Government that our immigration laws are robust and enforced. The establishment of a person’s identity and nationality is an important feature of our immigration process in general. When it comes to international protection applicants, each person that enters the process is fingerprinted and photographed. These...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (27 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: All applications for family reunification made to the Immigration Service of my Department must be accompanied by evidence as to the identity of the family members and the claimed relationship between them and the applicant. Such evidence may include birth certificates, marriage certificates and identification documents. The onus is on the applicants for family reunification to satisfy...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Bodies (27 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I can advise the Deputy that the International Protection Appeals Tribunal is independent in deciding whether or not to grant protection status to an applicant on appeal. Each application is considered individually, on its own merits, in line with national and international law. The grounds on which an applicant can be refused protection (exclusion) or have protection revoked (revocation)...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (27 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 321 together. I can assure the Deputy that my Department works closely with An Garda Síochána to prevent persons who have engaged in marriages of convenience, from obtaining immigration permission to be in Ireland. This includes refusing applications and revoking immigration permissions which may have been obtained under false pretences....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (27 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Regularisation of Long-Term Undocumented Migrants scheme was a strictly time-limited one that opened on 31 January 2022 and closed on 31 July 2022. This once in a generation scheme was designed to give long-term undocumented people without a current permission to remain in the State, the chance to regularise their status, access the labour market and begin their path to citizenship. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (27 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: The establishment of a person’s identity and nationality is an important feature of our immigration process generally. When it comes to international protection applicants, each person that enters the process is fingerprinted and photographed. These fingerprints are checked against EURODAC, an EU immigration database which stores the fingerprints of asylum applicants and those who have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (27 Feb 2025)

Jim O'Callaghan: Prior to travelling to Ireland, a non-EEA student may be required to apply for a visa, if from a visa required country. Visa applications are part of the screening processes, designed to establish that a person has a legitimate reason to come to Ireland prior to travel. A visa applicant is required to present certain documentation in support of his or her application including a valid...