Results 10,101-10,120 of 16,378 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: The budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with more than €2 billion allocated this year, including funding for the recruitment of up to 800 additional Garda trainees and up to 400 Garda staff. This significant investment demonstrates the Government's commitment to increasing the Garda workforce to enable the organisation...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Local Community Safety Partnerships (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, I announced the establishment of three pilot Local Community Safety Partnerships in November 2020. These pilots schemes have been set up in Longford, North Inner City Dublin and Waterford. The pilots will run for a period of two years, and learnings from the pilot LCSPs will inform the eventual rollout of the model to every local authority area. The Community...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: Ireland welcomes international students who wish to live here in order to pursue a full-time course of study. Their primary purpose for being in the State is as a student. However, since April 2001, non-EEA students with an immigration Stamp 2 permission, and who are enrolled on courses with education providers listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) including English...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I am sure the Deputy will join me in condemning any attacks made on the men and women serving in An Garda Síochána, the Health Services and other frontline workers. The Deputy will agree that we are all immensely grateful to all our frontline workers for their outstanding dedication to serving the public, and for the important role that they play in our society, notably their...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Diplomatic Representation (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 130 together. The Deputy will appreciate that, for sound reasons, it is not the practice to comment on security matters nor would it be in the public interest to do so.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, community CCTV schemes play an important role in local communities across the country, providing valuable reassurance and helping people to feel safer in their local areas. This is why it remains a priority for my Department to ensure that community groups continue to be supported in developing their local CCTV schemes, whilst balancing this with proportionate...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for directing and controlling An Garda Síochána and for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. I can assure the Deputy that both Commissioner Harris and I are committed to combatting all...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Staff (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Courts Service continues to work closely with the Judiciary on a range of measures to help address backlogs within the system as a consequence of the pandemic. Ensuring the courts and judiciary are adequately resourced is a Government priority. It is also the case that the Government endeavours to fill judicial vacancies at the earliest opportunity to ensure our courts continue to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I cannot comment on individual immigration cases or on matters that are currently before the courts. More generally, I can inform the Deputy that it is open to any person with a Deportation Order to make a request to have that order revoked. The request needs to be based on new information or changed circumstances, which were not part of the original application when the Deportation Order...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which is given the force of law in the State by the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act 1967, places on the receiving State a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of a diplomatic mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity. An...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: Section 7 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 sets out the functions of An Garda Síochána which includes the provision of security services for the State. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is independent in his operational functions which includes the management of resources. The Security and Intelligence Section is part of the Garda National Crime...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: National Security (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the current security environment is now more dynamic and varied and increasingly linked to international influences. An Garda Síochána continues to develop responses to the security threat landscape; to put in place appropriate mitigation measures and works closely with the Defence Forces and other operational partners in combatting these threats...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the general management and administration of the Garda organisation under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). This includes the distribution and stationing of Garda members throughout the State. I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Strategies (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 137 together. As the Deputies are aware, I am currently leading work on a new whole of Government strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. This new plan will have a particular focus on prevention, and on ensuring victims are better supported. It will set an overall goal of zero tolerance in our society of domestic, sexual and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I can inform the Deputy that the Travellers in Prison Initiative (“TPI”) was first developed in 2014 as a response to the particular needs and circumstances of people from the Travelling community that were committed to prisons in Ireland. It is the first operational programme of the St Stephen's Green Trust, and is also funded by the Prison Service and the Probation Service. I...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Schemes (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: It is my goal that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one, and I am deeply committed to working with our partners in the sector and with my Government colleagues to achieve that. This Government has prioritised tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) in all its forms, and ensuring that people, particularly women and vulnerable people, feel safe and are safe in our...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: Tackling organised criminal activity is a key priority for the Government and an ongoing priority for An Garda Síochána. The Government has supported An Garda Síochána in addressing the threat from organised crime gangs through the introduction of a range of legislative measures. This includes the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which is currently being...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Constitutional presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty means that restricting a person’s liberty is a serious matter. While our laws do provide for the refusal of bail in certain circumstances, the decision to grant bail in a particular case is always a matter for the presiding judge, who is independent in the exercise of their...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I am advised by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service that the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour applies to employees of the Irish Prison Service. This Code forms part of the terms of employment of all civil servants who are obliged to adhere to it at all times. Under the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour, an employee who is convicted of a criminal offence...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Jury Service (29 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: Improving access to justice and modernisation of the courts system, including jury reform, is one of the overarching strategic goals of my Department over the next three years, and is a priority objective of my Justice Plan 2022, which I published last week. The Courts Service has already embarked on multi-year programme of modernisation to enhance the delivery of services to the people...