Results 12,681-12,700 of 15,536 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (15 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Immigration Service of my Department advises that the statistical information sought by the Deputy is not available. When a new immigration record is being created, the Immigration Service does not, as a matter of course, record the relevant applicant’s place of birth. As a result, there is no available record of the number of children born in Ireland who are in any...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (15 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The relevant information requested by the Deputy is being collated and verified and I will respond directly to the Deputy when this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Operations (15 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I have requested the information sought by the Deputy on the number and value of fireworks seized from An Garda Síochána. In addition, the information on the related advertising campaign is currently being collated and verified. I will write directly to the Deputy when this information is received.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Projects (15 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are currently no projects over €1 billion within the Justice sector.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fire Safety (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: An Garda Síochána is already undertaking a great deal of work. As we both said, this situation is happening much sooner than Hallowe'en and Operation Tombola has commenced and been in effect since 4 September. Perhaps that operation needs to start even sooner, but it is very early. This plan has many aspects directed against the sale of fireworks, including, to name just a few,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fire Safety (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The challenge here concerns situations, such as those we have seen recently, where there have been large gatherings of people into which fireworks have been thrown. When the police arrived and spoke to people, however, there did not seem to be an ability to identify who had thrown the fireworks. This seems to be a major problem where younger people are not willing to say who threw a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Crime Data (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 191,193 and 194 together. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As the Deputy is aware, the Central Statistics Office, CSO, as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics. The CSO produces these statistics using data recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE system and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Crime Data (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The work of An Garda Síochána is directed by the Garda Commissioner and his team, but I can say that where a particular increase has been identified in these types of crimes it has been possible for An Garda Síochána to place particular emphasis and a focus on trying to improve the response to and support for those individuals affected by crime. Regarding the area of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Crime Data (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I do not have the figures now, but I can respond to the Deputy later. I have exact figures for Kildare, the Deputy's county, but I appear to have mislaid them in my documents. I will pass those figures on to the Deputy once these Questions are finished.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Female Genital Mutilation (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Deputy will be glad to know that female genital mutilation has been an offence in Ireland since 2012. It is barbaric and should never happen. The Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act was enacted in 2012. It was sponsored by the then Minister for Health and the Act created the offence of female genital mutilation and related...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Female Genital Mutilation (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy has asked a number of questions there. He is right in saying that first and foremost, we need to stop this practice and a lot of that is done through education of parents and within communities. We will progress this through the second domestic, sexual and gender-based violence strategy, which includes a number of measures. A review is under way and we are looking to develop a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Female Genital Mutilation (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I support the Deputy and I agree that we need to eradicate this process. We have made good strides in recent years with the introduction of legislation as a priority as part of the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence strategy. I mention the fact that we have had one conviction. While the number might seem low, there was a significant problem in Ireland whereby this is often only...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fire Safety (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: While I have not stayed in Dublin in the last few nights, I have friends who live here and they have highlighted this issue to me a number of weeks ago, which was surprising and concerning given how far out we are from Hallowe'en. The importation of fireworks is controlled under law in the interests of safety and security. Government policy restricts the availability of all hazardous...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Garda Investigations (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I agree we need to ensure that any kind of evidence being kept or stored is kept safely. That is why there is a security review under way as to what happened here specifically. I do not know of any other such incidents nor do I have figures of incidents like this. I do not know if that information is available but I reassure the Deputy that this is being looked at and a review is under...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Garda Investigations (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I know it is a long-standing interest of the Deputy and I agree that the perpetrators of this crime should be brought to justice. This was an appalling bomb attack that took place in Belturbet in 1972 which sadly cost two innocent young people their lives and injured many others. I extend my sincere sympathy to those bereaved and injured in that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Garda Investigations (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I have not seen the document the Deputy referred to but I would be happy to receive it, as I am sure the Garda and the PSNI would be. They are committed and where there is new evidence or an ability to reach a conclusion and bring the perpetrators to justice, they want to do that. However, it is difficult without new evidence, given the period of time lapsed. This case will remain open....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Garda Investigations (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I agree with the Deputy. The use of violence in any instance is reprehensible and should never be a course of action for anybody, particularly when such innocent young lives are lost. I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering that has been faced by the families of these two victims over the years, as well as by the many victims of violence on this island in recent years. Violence...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Crime Prevention (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I again thank both Deputies for their commitment to this. The implementation of these recommendations will only work, if all agencies, including the various Departments, whether Justice and Equality, Health, Education and Skills or Employment Affairs and Social Protection, come together. This mirrors the work we intend to do through the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Crime Prevention (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: Deputy O'Dowd raised the issue of the timeline. I asked Mr. Geiran whether ten weeks would be enough and he absolutely assured me it would be. The sooner we can get the recommendations, the sooner we can start to act on them. In the meantime, there are still concerns about criminal activity in Drogheda and the surroundings area in counties Louth and Meath. Regarding the changes over...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Garda Investigations (10 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 provides that the Commissioner is responsible for the direction and control of An Garda Síochána. The Garda Commissioner is also responsible for the day-to-day management of An Garda Síochána, which includes investigations of alleged crimes and other relevant matters. As Minister, I have...