Results 1,321-1,340 of 15,047 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the incoming Government has set the priorities in the draft Programme for Government. Work to progress these commitments will commence on the appointment of the new Government. The Deputy will appreciate that, as a result, timelines or operational details on policy proposals are not yet available until work programmes are agreed. The right to protest is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Freedom of Speech (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the incoming Government has set the priorities in the draft Programme for Government. Work to progress these commitments will commence on the appointment of the new Government. The Deputy will appreciate that, as a result, timelines or operational details on policy proposals are not yet available until work programmes are agreed. The right to protest is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Dealing (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation and violence on families and communities, is a top priority for my Department. Unprecedented funding has been provided to An Garda Síochána, which has enabled the Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime. The funding made...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the incoming Government has set the priorities in the draft Programme for Government. Work to progress these commitments will commence on the appointment of the new Government. The Deputy will also appreciate that, as a result, timelines or operational details on policy proposals are not available until work programmes are agreed.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Coroners Service (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, in October 2024, my Department published a Public Consultation on reform of the Coroner Service. I also secured the Government’s approval to draft the general scheme of a Bill to significantly reform the Coroner Service to increase efficiencies and minimise the impact of the death investigation process on bereaved people. Department of Justice...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). The Commissioner is also responsible for the Garda Reserve under the Garda Síochána (Reserve Members) Regulations 2024. As Minister, I have no role in the recruitment or training process...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the deputy will be aware, under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business which includes all decisions and operational matters concerning the Garda Estate. Furthermore the management of each property in the Garda estate is a matter for the OPW. The Minister as such has no...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Properties (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department conducts its operations in buildings which are either State owned or rented or leased by the Office of Public Works (OPW) on behalf of my Department. The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. Business Area Address Eircode Department of Justice Head Office 51 Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the distribution of resources, including the Garda fleet, across the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in this matter. The Government is committed to providing An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that I am committed to creating an effective and victim centred approach to handling sexual offence cases which aims to protect victims from re-traumatisation and encourage more individuals to come forward, thereby facilitating a smoother judicial process. As the Deputy will be aware, in 2022, I commenced the Criminal Procedure Act 2021, which allows for pre-trial...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, over the past 2 years, I have secured an 18% increase in the fees paid under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme. The budget for criminal legal aid will increase in 2025 by over €9m which includes an 8% increase in fees from 1 January 2025. This is in addition to the 10% increase in fees secured in Budget 2024. I am committed to building on this progress and I...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Official Travel (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: It has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time available. I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that the application referred to was created on the 07 February 2024. Supporting documentation was received in the Addis Ababa office on the 22 February 2024. The application was received in the Abu Dhabi Visa Office on the 23 February 2024 where it awaits examination and processing. My Department's business target for join family visa applications is 12 months. It...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: One of the overarching goals of Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on DSGBV, which I published in June 2022, is to ensure that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one, and under the Strategy we have committed to doubling the number of refuge units across the country. This represents the fastest ever expansion of refuge accommodation in this country. To accelerate the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am advised by the Garda authorities that at the end of October 2024, the latest date for when figures are available, there were 114 members of An Garda Síochána allocated to Juvenile Liaison Officer (JLO) duties across the State, not inclusive of personnel allocated to the Garda National Youth Diversion Bureau (GNYDB) at Garda Headquarters. I am further advised by the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) and therefore, resource management is a matter for the Commissioner. I am assured that personnel assigned throughout the country, together with the overall policing arrangements and operational strategies are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the distribution of Garda members between the different Garda units and Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including Garda resources. This includes the allocation of Garda members to a given Division, District or Station across the State. As Minister, I have no role in this process and cannot seek to direct the Commissioner in relation to same. I am informed...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Restorative Justice (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, there has been much work done to date to support the expansion of restorative justice services, in line with the policy paper ‘Promoting and supporting the provision of Restorative Justice at all stages of the criminal justice system’, published in August 2023. Restorative justice is defined in Irish law as any scheme through which, with the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (22 Jan 2025)

Helen McEntee: The independent review of familicide, published in May 2023, was commissioned by my Department in order to effectively respond to this difficult but important subject. A significant number of the recommendations made in the familicide review are being progressed as part of our work to tackle domestic abuse and protect victims. A team has been established in my Department to review and...