Results 14,481-14,500 of 17,543 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid Service (30 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Legal Aid Board provides legal advice and aid under the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 and the Civil Legal Aid Regulations 1996-2017. The Board delivers these services through directly employed solicitors in its network of law centres around the country and through private solicitors from its private practitioner panels. Section 3(3) of the Act provides that the Board shall, subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (30 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Immigration Service of my Department does not collect the statistical information sought by the Deputy. When a record of a deportation order is being created, the Immigration Service does not, as a matter of course, record the relevant applicant’s place of birth, as opposed to their country of nationality, which is recorded. The applicant's...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (30 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 209 together. The amount spent by my Department on media monitoring and media clipping services for the years 2017, 2018, 2019 and to date in 2020 is set out in the table below. The Department receives daily National and Regional Press Cuttings from Kantar Media, based on a wide set of key-words and phrases relevant to the work of the Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (30 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: Regular media engagement and monitoring of current media issues is essential for my Department to fulfil its public role and democratic mandate. My Department has hard copy and digital subscriptions to daily and weekend national publications as set out below: Hard Copy Subscriptions Online Subscriptions  The Irish Independent The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: Since September 2018, due to a lack of capacity within our accommodation portfolio to meet the demand for accommodation for persons seeking international protection, temporary accommodation has been provided in a number of hotels and guesthouses. Temporary accommodation was sought by way of public advertisement, and the company referred to by the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: It is a contractual obligation on all service providers of accommodation centres that a 28 day menu be provided and that residents are consulted on that menu. Menus must meet the reasonable dietary and cultural needs of the different ethnic groups accommodated at the centre and the reasonable prescribed dietary needs of any resident. Menus must include a vegetarian option and all food...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 687 and 701 together. My Department takes any complaints from residents very seriously and all residents are made fully aware of their ability to contact my Department at any time in confidence. There are fair complaints procedures in place for residents. Where appropriate, most complaints should be brought to the centre manager in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Covid-19 Pandemic (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department has responsibility for securing Ireland’s border at Dublin Airport, in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Acts and Orders as they relate to entry and refusal of entry to the State. The BMU collected and checked Public Health Passenger Locator Forms at Dublin Airport between 28 April 2020 and 25 August 2020, and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Inquiries (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, a retired judge, Gerard Haughton, is conducting a scoping exercise into the tragic death of the person in question, whose case has been discussed in Dáil Éireann on a number of occasions. The judge furnished an interim report to my predecessor on 13 November last. Following consultation between Judge Haughton, the family concerned, and the Attorney...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I can inform the Deputy that there is ongoing engagement with An Garda Síochána in relation to budgetary matters including the additional costs arising from the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The Deputy will be aware that as part of the Government's July Stimulus Package, an additional €11 million in capital funding has been made available for the Garda Vote. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Overtime (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that under Section 26 (1) (b) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána including personnel/human resources matters.  In addition, under Section 43(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 the Garda Commissioner is the Accounting Officer of An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Protected Disclosures (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, the Protected Disclosures Act was enacted in 2014 to allow employees to bring alleged wrongdoing to the attention of the appropriate authorities.  The Act also affords very important protections to persons making protected disclosures. I am sure that the Deputy will appreciate therefore that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on nor confirm the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The application for the person referred to by the Deputy has now been processed. Their  passport will be returned to them by registered post this week. Their new Irish Residence Permit card will follow separately by post. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department using the Oireachtas Mail...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Investigations (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: I wish to inform the Deputy that it has not been possible in the timeframe available to collate the information sought, as this entails a manual check of individual records.  I will revert to the Deputy as soon as this information has been compiled.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Irish Prison Service (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and as the Deputy will appreciate, a wide range of measures have been required to protect our prison population, in line with public health advice. The Irish Prison Service is continuing to work towards minimising the potential issues with the COVID -19 pandemic within the closed and high risk prison environment. Additional costs have arisen in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Protected Disclosures (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 came into operation on 15 July 2014 and my Department has a comprehensive Protected Disclosure Policy in place. The Policy was reviewed during 2019 and a revised Policy is due to be published in 2020. The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 provides protections for workers in both the public and private sectors against...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ministerial Correspondence (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: A number of complaints received by my Department from the named person are of a sensitive and confidential nature and they are the subject of ongoing independent investigations. It would not be appropriate for me to expand on the nature of these concerns. Recent correspondence received from the named person is under consideration and a response will issue as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Work Permits (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: Under the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018, applicants in the international protection process who have not received a first instance decision within nine months from the date when their protection application was lodged, can make an application for a labour market access permission.  The permission is granted to eligible applicants for six months and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: It is a contractual obligation on all service providers of accommodation centres that a 28 day menu be provided and that residents are consulted on that menu. Menus must meet the reasonable dietary and cultural needs of the different ethnic groups accommodated at the centre and the reasonable prescribed dietary needs of any resident.  Menus must include a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (29 Sep 2020)

Helen McEntee: The administration and management of An Garda Síochána is by law a matter for the Garda Commissioner. This includes responsibilities for matters including recruitment and training of members.  These are not matters for which I am responsible as Minister. As the Deputy will appreciate and in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and associated public health...