Results 221-240 of 11,742 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: We need to work through that with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: They can still apply for asylum. If somebody misleads the authorities, for example, because they have false documents, they will go into the border procedure if they come through the border. It is an accelerated procedure, so they can still claim asylum and make their case, but they will just be processed in a much quicker way. It is often said to me that if someone has a false document,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It is very clear. If somebody presents with false documents or does not have documents, it is a criminal offence. Senator Ruane is right that people have been imprisoned in recent months because of that. There are different time periods, but on release from prison a person can still then apply for asylum. It does not prevent them from applying, but it is a criminal offence to not have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: First, I point to my response to Deputy Ó Ríordáin: nobody's right to asylum is being removed. We are one of 190-odd countries that have signed up to the Geneva Convention and that means if a person seeks protection, we have an obligation and duty to give them the opportunity to state their case. That will not change. It is important, however, that we have a system that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The accelerated procedure also has an appeals system and to date, approximately 80% of those appeals have been upheld. It is important that the system works for those who need it. If we have people who are economic migrants, as has been the case for a number of people in recent years, there are legal routes and pathways. Parallel to the pact, work is happening whereby we, as a European...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: In what way?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: This is about the movement of children who are non-EU citizens.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: They absolutely can.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The difference is that we are talking about citizens who do not have a right to free movement across borders. We have an interconnected police system and the Garda works closely with police organisations across Europe and with Europol and Interpol. When it comes to trafficking, we have significant operations and mechanisms by which we work with each other.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: That is absolutely not the case. I do not think I am suggesting that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: There are situations where children may be coming from a war-torn country. Significant numbers have been coming from Ukraine recently. In that scenario, there is the potential that somebody who is not a European citizen will be trafficked by those claiming to be parents or relatives. We need to understand and know who people are.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Anybody can be taken and that is why the Garda works to try-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: We are talking about people coming into Europe. We are talking about reducing risks for children. We are talking about trying to ensure that children are not used by other people who are trying to get into the country to claim asylum. We are trying to ensure, for example, that children are not being brought into forced prostitution, which perhaps we do not realise is a massive problem. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: I do not think so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: This will not be facial recognition. People's photographs will be taken and that is it. They will then be on a system. Any form of facial recognition is separate and has nothing to do with it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Facial recognition will not be applied in this instance. It will involve photographs. If a person arrives and we identify them on the Eurodac system, we will simply have a picture. We will be able to confirm it is the person in question and that the documents match those that have been uploaded.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Not in this country, no. Not that I am aware of. We are talking about taking photos of people simply to upload to a database that can then be accessed by other member states.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It will be a photograph as a form of identification.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Directives (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Temporary Protection Directive – which provides immediate protection in EU countries for people displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine – was extended to March 2025 at a meeting of the European Council last September. I wish to acknowledge again the enormous goodwill and welcome shown by communities across the country to those who have arrived. The Government will...