Results 9,921-9,940 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: My Department is aware that there have been issues in the past around the securing of registration appointments and has continually introduced software fixes designed to improve the system. These new measures have been partly successful in preventing the block booking of appointments by third party agents.   However, some third party agents continue to provide appointment...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: The application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. If further documentation is required it will be requested from the applicant in due course. As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Programme (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Stormont House Agreement, concluded by the two Governments and the Northern Ireland Parties in December 2014, provides for a framework of measures to address the legacy of troubles-related violence in Northern Ireland.  The framework of measures agreed include the establishment of the Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR). The ICIR is to be an independent...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parole Boards (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1187 and 1188 together. As the Deputy is aware, the Parole Board, as provided for under the Parole Act 2019, was established on the 31 July 2021. The Board is an independent statutory body entirely separate from its predecessor.    A significant amount of work has already been undertaken since the Parole Board was established. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Agreements (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1189, 1190 and 1330 together. As the Deputy may be aware, Ireland signed the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) but has yet to ratify this treaty. Ireland has, of course, already signed and ratified the Convention itself. The Protocol provides for the establishment of bodies known as National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) which...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that substantial work has been completed on the necessary actions to introduce the new Prisoner Complaints System, including on staff training, the development of an integrated IT system to support case handling and a draft policy for complaints handling. The critical path for the introduction of the new system includes the drafting of the Statutory Instrument...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1192 and 1193 together. The Office of the Inspector of Prisons is a statutory body, independent in how it carries out its work, set up under the Prisons Act 2007. The Inspector's key role is to carry out regular inspections of prisons.  The Inspector of Prisons three day monitoring report of Mountjoy Women’s Prison (Dóchas Centre) was...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Extradition Arrangements (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: I wish to inform the Deputy that the Minister for Justice has no power to suspend the surrender of persons sought by Poland under the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) system as decisions on surrender are taken by the High Court as the executing judicial authority in the State under the European Arrest Warrant Act 2003, as amended. However, I can inform the Deputy that surrender of persons to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: An application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy on 30 June 2021. This application is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: An application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy on 30 June 2021. This application is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: This application for naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy, continues to be processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision in due course. The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: At the outset of the current crisis in Afghanistan, the Government announced that Afghan people would be allocated places under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). Priority has been given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls and minorities, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations and more than 500...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Mental Health Services (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is responsible under the law for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the training and deployment of Garda personnel. As Minister, I have no direct role in such decisions. However, the area of mental health in the justice sector has been a priority for me since I was appointed Minister for Justice. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Northern Ireland (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: This Government is deeply conscious of the enduring suffering and hardship that survivors of Troubles-related attacks bear. The Government has always sought to acknowledge and address the legitimate needs and expectations of victims’ families and survivors of Troubles-related attacks in this jurisdiction. The Deputy will be aware that a number of measures have been undertaken by...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: The application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. If further documentation is required it will be requested from the applicant in due course. As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: The person referred to by the Deputy lodged a review application in respect of their EU Treaty Rights application decision on 2 August 2017.  This application was examined in detail and a decision was made to uphold the decision to refuse their EU Treaty Rights application on 1 March 2021. Reasons for the refusal are outlined in the refusal letter....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Stardust Fire (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1206 and 1284 together. The Stardust fire was a national tragedy that has left a particular legacy of pain for many people in North Dublin. I offer my deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the 48 young people killed in the Stardust fire over forty years ago. I also recognise the impact on everyone who attended that night and the impact on the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1207 and 1260 together. This application for naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy, continues to be processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision in due course. The granting of Irish citizenship through...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Work Permits (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: The immigration arrangements for circus performers providing a service to an Irish based circus, who do not have an employee relationship with those to whom they are providing this service, are in place since 2007. These arrangements will continue to operate for the 2022 season to allow time for a review, with a view to putting in place a suitable provision for the 2023 season onwards....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (19 Jan 2022)

Helen McEntee: There are a variety of reasons as to why people become undocumented and therefore the number of undocumented people in the State will fluctuate over time. There are no official studies or reports regarding the number of undocumented persons resident in the State as such people tend to avoid official notice. However, the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland, has previously estimated that...