Results 9,341-9,360 of 17,498 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Seekers (27 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the State has a duty to protect its borders and to ensure that all arriving passengers are entitled to enter the State. This is a fundamental exercise of State sovereignty, which is necessary to protect the security of the State and to prevent illegal immigration. The exercise of powers in this area is at all times subject to the law and to respect for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Vacant Properties (27 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The information requested by the Deputy is as follows: Agency Vacant Buildings Derelict Buildings Location Irish Prison Service 2 Cork and Dublin Department of Justice 0 0 Probation Service 1 Cork I wish to further advise the Deputy that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (27 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I want to assure the Deputy that combatting sexual violence is a priority for this Government. Our continued focus in this area is reflected in the recently launched Zero Tolerance Strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, and in the extra €9m allocated to tackle these heinous crimes under Budget 2023. The rise in the number of people contacting centres as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (27 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, for reasons of maintaining full confidentiality, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for asylum or subsidiary protection has been made in the State. An applicant for such protection status, or their legal representative, should contact either the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (27 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 3 permission, which expires on 16 July 2025. There is no open application with my Department to change the immigration status of the person concerned. As the Deputy will be aware, registrations for people living outside of the Dublin area are processed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) through the Garda Station...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I apologise for not being here last night. I appreciate the opportunity to resume the debate where we left it last week. I thank Senator Ward for tabling amendment No. 19, which seeks to amend section 13. The Senator's amendment provides for similar matters concerning lay expertise and knowledge in an amended subsection (4). This version simply provides for a reordering of the four...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I appreciate that the amendment does not propose to change the substance of the Bill.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: For the reasons I have outlined, we have tried to keep the criteria as broad as possible to ensure that persons who see that their area of expertise is not included will not feel they are excluded and cannot apply, whether that is environmental law or another area. I would argue that there is a huge focus on and need to have expertise in the area of family law, which raises the question of...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: This amendment seeks to add an extra layer. Section 21 already provides that "The Government may remove a lay member from office [on] one or more of the grounds specified". There is a requirement for a resolution to be passed by each House of the Oireachtas, including the Seanad, before that is done. This additional safeguard is already in the Bill. I think that adding the committee on...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I appreciate where Senator Hoey is coming from in outlining this issue. However, I share Senator McDowell's concerns. The amendment proposes to insert: "references to the improvement of diversity shall be construed to include improvement of representation of persons or classes...". How could that be done without having to ask each individual applicant in the interview process about his or...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The answer is "Yes". We are setting out a clear process that will apply to every individual regardless of whether he or she is a sitting judge or a solicitor or barrister applying for the first time. Everyone will come through the same process. I appreciate that the Constitution sets out that the Government appoints judges. That is why I am not recommending that one name be put forward to...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I will try my best to respond to many of the points that have been made. First, I will touch on an area Senator Ward focused on, namely the purpose and intention behind this Bill. One of the key elements of reform is the fact that any individual, be he or she a sitting barrister, solicitor, legal academic or a sitting judge, would go through the same process. I appreciate it is a departure...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The State is required to examine applications for international protection by anyone who is at the borders of the State or is in the State and indicates they wish to make an application. This is in accordance with our obligations under international and EU asylum law, which does not allow any Member State to place a cap on the numbers of persons who may apply for international protection. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Reviews (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 was enacted with the primary purposes of reforming the law relating to the ownership and management of common areas of multi-unit developments and facilitating the fair, efficient and effective management of owners' management companies (OMCs). The Programme for Government contains a commitment to conduct a review of the existing management company...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. The Commissioner is also responsible for all internal Garda HR matters. As Minister I play no role in these independent functions. To be of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 149 together. I can advise the Deputy that when issued with a deportation order, the person concerned is required to remove themselves from the State. Many people comply with this and leave the country, without notifying the immigration authorities that they have done so. However where a person does not voluntarily return to their own country, Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150, 151, 153 and 154 together. Currently, section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, provides that an application for a certificate of naturalisation may be made on behalf of a minor born in the State. One of the conditions for naturalisation is that the person who makes the application on the minor’s behalf, must be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, when the Government formed we committed in the Programme for Government to create new pathways for long-term undocumented people and their dependents who must meet specified criteria to regularise their immigration status. I launched the scheme for the Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants earlier this year for a 6 month period and the scheme closed...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation under the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements, not only within the State but also at European Union, as well as international level. It is therefore important that appropriate procedures are in place to ensure that the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (26 Oct 2022)

Helen McEntee: For the period referred to by the Deputy, a total of six revocations have taken place arising from voluntary revocation or information coming to light regarding identity. A Committee of Enquiry into Revocations has been established to consider individual cases under the Act and make recommendations to me for final decision. There have been seven hearings by the Committee of Enquiry into...