Results 1,341-1,360 of 15,060 for speaker:Helen McEntee

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...

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

Helen McEntee: In its over forty years of operation, the Civil Legal Aid Scheme has been a significant and beneficial public service, providing legal aid and advice to people of limited means in civil disputes, including family law. However, since the Scheme was set up, Irish society has changed, and the demands on the service have grown. In June 2022, I established the Civil Legal Aid Review Group to...

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

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, under Section 33 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution and stationing of the Garda Síochána throughout the State. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions. I am informed by the Garda authorities that a distribution model is used which takes into account all...

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

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will appreciate that, arising from the Single Market and in line with the EU Procurement Principles of equal treatment, transparency and open competition, it is permissible for companies and individuals who are tax resident outside of Ireland to participate in public tender competitions. Competitive tendering is used by my Department for the procurement of goods and services in...

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

Helen McEntee: I can inform the Deputy that my Department has no record of any contracts awarded to the companies in question in the last 10 years.

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

Helen McEntee: I understand the Deputy is referring to a holder of a Critical Skills Permit and a stamp 1 immigration permission. Where a person on a stamp 1 critical skills permit is made redundant, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's website provides detailed information on the issue of redundancy and the remedies available to those on an employment permit. This can be accessed at the...

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

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that processing times are now decreasing year on year. The median processing time for a decision on an application in 2024 was 8 months, down from 15 months in 2023, and 19 months in 2022. I expect that going forward, the vast majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year, however, it is important to note that no two...

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

Helen McEntee: The prevention, detection and prosecution of the abhorrent crime of human trafficking is a priority for me as Minister for Justice and for the Government. A number of significant measures have been taken to combat human trafficking, to create a more victim-centred approach to identifying and supporting victims, and to raise awareness and provide training for those who need it. In order to...