Results 8,741-8,760 of 17,498 for speaker:Helen McEntee

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-----

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

Helen McEntee: No, but it does issue the call and provides recommendations to the Minister from the pool of applicants. Each new vacancy requires new recommendations from JAAB, so there is still that pool. If I, as Minister, request a new JAAB for a new vacancy that arises, it is good practice. That is what we are trying to continue here by proposing names for a specific vacancy. For example, if someone...

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

Helen McEntee: Section 43(1) requires a person wishing to be considered for appointment to a judicial office to make an application to the commission. As the Senator said, section 42(3) states the commission shall issue this invitation when the Minister has made a request. However, taking the two subsections together, the commission is still allowed to decide if it wants to issue an invitation at the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 408 and 419 together. The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda Síochána is central to this policy. This commitment is demonstrated by the unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion to the Garda Vote this year, which is allowing for sustained and ongoing recruitment and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to inform you that the application referred to by the Deputy was granted on 28 June 2023 and the Visa sticker issued on 29 June 2023. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), which has been specifically established for this purpose. This...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Ceremonies (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to confirm that my Department intends to host the next in-person Citizenship Ceremonies in the autumn of 2023 and the Citizenship Division have advised that they will revert to the applicant directly in due course regarding their application and next steps. More information regarding Citizenship Ceremonies is available on my Department’s website, which will be further...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: I would like to assure the Deputy that both Commissioner Harris and I are committed to combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and to ensuring that An Garda Síochána is resourced to provide support to victims of this terrible crime. Twelve months ago we published our Zero Tolerance strategy. It is an ambitious five-year programme of reform to achieve a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Programmes (4 Jul 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 a FAQ concerning the closure on my Department's website, which will be updated with any further arising questions from the closure, and is available here: www.irishimmigration.ie/faqs-closure-of-the-immigrant-invest...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware the Government will establish a statutory agency with a dedicated focus on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware the Government will establish a statutory agency with a dedicated focus on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware the Government will establish a statutory agency with a dedicated focus on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (4 Jul 2023)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware the Government will establish a statutory agency with a dedicated focus on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social...