Results 12,321-12,340 of 17,539 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: I will state clearly that I was not lobbied on this matter. There was a very clear process. The GRA engaged with my Department throughout last year to try to ensure this conference could be held. The work that was done between my Department and the Attorney General was simply to allow for this conference to take place. As the Deputy will appreciate, the association is independent in its...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: The Ampersand report was very welcome. It made a number of recommendations. I believe it was welcomed by the organisation, the Garda Commissioner and everybody else who has seen it. My understanding is that the timeline for its implementation runs to 2025, so there is obviously some way to go. The Commissioner has taken a personal interest in this matter and has recently received an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Prison Service (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: The Irish Prison Service has undertaken excellent work during this pandemic to prevent the spread of Covid-19. A wide range of measures was introduced to address the risks facing the service. The service is fortunate to have an executive clinical lead and a head of infection control in place. The excellent work of its teams is guided by the advice of the National Public Health Emergency...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Prison Service (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: I have absolute confidence in the management and all the staff and teams working in our prisons. At every stage, they have tried to protect not only themselves but the prisoner population. As I said, for the most part of last year, there were no cases. As virus cases have increased in number, we have, as the Deputy noted, seen what is happening in the community being reflected in prisons....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Prison Service (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: There have been hospitalisations in prisons in the same way that we have seen hospitalisations across the country due to Covid-19. Unfortunately, the Prison Service has not escaped that. The first death in custody was recorded in recent times and I know that was extremely distressing and upsetting for everybody working in the Prison Services. It was, however, the first death, which again...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the redeployment of gardaí and its staff. It also includes management of human resources and industrial relations matters and I do not play role a role in these matters. I want to be clear about what happened. The event did not take place in-person....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this matter. I fully appreciate the concerns raised by people, including members of the public and those working in public transport systems and specifically those who must deal with antisocial behaviour and criminal activity. If we are honest, we have probably all seen videos and various recordings circulating throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: It goes without saying that whether it is people hopping on a bus to go to a local town, students going to college or somebody going to Dublin for a day out, there should not be an issue with people feeling unsafe on public transport. That is well understood within An Garda Síochána. The Garda have been proactive in recent times, with engagement not just within Dublin but in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: What is clear is that the Garda is very aware of the concerns. The sole objective in carrying out the work it has done and the engagement with the services is to ensure people travelling on public transport and those providing the service are safe. There has been engagement and pilot programmes in Dublin and this will reach to the regions. There is also engagement between the control...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Victim Support Services (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 134 together. I would like to thank both Deputies Higgins and Lawless for raising this matter and assure you that protecting and supporting victims of crime is a key priority for me as Minister. My Department is leading a number of important initiatives to support victims of crime. When victims of crime begin to engage with the judicial system, they...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the detection of and response to any criminal activity is an operational function for the Garda Commissioner. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. The Central Statistics Office's latest release on Recorded Crime Detection, published earlier this month, identifies the percentage of crimes recorded by...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: Spiking a person’s drink or spiking someone by injection are obviously very serious offences. They are, in effect, poisoning and they are criminal offences, under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, that can result in a three year prison term. I can assure the Deputy that any incident of this type of crime, including those with evidence to suggest a link with...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: My Department's overall objective is to have decisions made on applications from people seeking international protection as quickly as possible. This ensures that those who are found to be in need of protection in Ireland can receive it quickly and begin rebuilding their lives here with a sense of safety and security. My Department is fully committed to implementing the key...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Support Services (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on my Department's immigration service delivery. In line with public health advice, my Department has implemented a suite of measures to help reduce the spread of the virus. This has unavoidably led to a reduction in processing capacity across many business areas. We continue to operate to the best of our ability and a number of actions have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that my Department published the general scheme of the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill earlier this year. The Bill will, inter alia, provide for a key principle from the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland - that preventing crime and harm and making our communities safer does not rest with An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a multi-agency statutory body established under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act, 1996. The Bureau has staff drawn from An Garda Síochána, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (including Customs), the Department of Social Protection and my Department. The Bureau has been one of the great success stories in Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the detection of and response to any criminal activity is an operational function for the Garda Commissioner. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. As the Deputy will be aware, the most recent statistics published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that reported fraud offences have increased by 40.6% across the country...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Injury Claims (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: I am very much aware of the difficulties faced by many small businesses and consumers in relation to the cost and availability of insurance. Insurance reform is a key priority for this Government and is reflected in the Programme for Government, the Government’s Action Plan for Insurance Reform launched last December, and in the Justice Plan 2021. The Action Plan for Insurance...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, a key pillar of the Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, is building stronger and safer communities. I can assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to ensuring that there is strong, visible community policing right across Ireland, both rural and urban. Making our towns, villages and rural areas safer is best achieved when Gardaí work closely with...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Joint Policing Committees (25 Nov 2021)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that my Department published the general scheme of the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill earlier this year. The Bill will provide for a key principle from the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland - that preventing crime and harm and making our communities safer does not rest with An Garda Síochána and my...