Results 21-40 of 11,367 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: There are a number of things that we need to do here. I have referenced some of them, for example, increasing the age at which people can apply so we have even more applying; making sure that those who want to stay on can do so, which is why increasing the retirement age is very important; and making sure that those who want to become members but potentially cannot do so because of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: No, I would not rule out another venue.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Agreements (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that our international protection system is robust and rules-based and that our borders are protected. A core part of my role as Minister for Justice is, of course, to uphold the Constitution at all times and I will always do so. I believe the new EU asylum and migration pact is a game changer for Ireland. It was agreed in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Agreements (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy said, the people voted for the Lisbon treaty. What they voted for was the right for Ireland to opt in. The only constitutional requirement following on from that vote is that both Houses would adopt or vote on any decision taken to opt into any measure. We have done that on one occasion in the last few weeks when, with regard to people smuggling or human trafficking, we opted...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Court Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: But it is not.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Agreements (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: We have just had a good debate and a number of questions at the Joint Committee on Justice on this matter. I start by assuring the Deputy that I am keenly aware that the right to asylum is a fundamental right in the EU guaranteed by the treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and confirmed by the proposals under the pact on migration and asylum. The EU asylum and migration pact will...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Agreements (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: You could say the fact that there are people on the extreme left and right with opposing views and we are somewhere in the middle means that we may have got it somewhat right. I assure the Deputy, and I speak on my own behalf but also - I think - on behalf of the vast majority of people in this country, that we are and have always been a welcoming country. I believe our colleagues, friends...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Agreements (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It is important to be clear that we are not proposing to detain people. While we will have a border procedure and people coming through that procedure will be in specific accommodation, they will not be detained. We will not have fences or people in a prison-type facility. That is not what we are proposing here and I do not think it is what we should ever propose. However, we have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: This year, I have provided a budget allocation of over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána. This is a 25% increase on 2020 and will allow for the sustained recruitment of Garda recruits in 2024. I have taken a number of measures to support increased recruitment into An Garda Síochána. This includes a 66% increase in the training allowance and increasing the age of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Court Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that the provision of improved court facilities at Tralee is one of the Courts Service projects included in the national development plan, NDP. The existing courthouse on Ashe Street in Tralee comprises only two courtrooms and it lacks the facilities one would expect to find in a modern county town courthouse. I am informed the plan is for a new courthouse...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Court Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy has raised this with me recently in relation to the An Post site. I have inquired and have been informed by the Courts Service that the search for a suitable site has been ongoing. It has been challenging. This was prior to the completion of the sale of the Island of Geese site, which was back in December last year. It had been ongoing for many years stretching back to the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Court Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The challenge here is that the search for a site has been going on since the early 2000s. The site referred to by the Deputy was not for sale and it is actually not up for sale now. I appreciate that it might come up for sale at some point in the future. It is not up for sale now and we do have a site that has actually been acquired. It is a portion of the site and the decision was taken...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Freedom of Speech (18 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill will legislate against hate crimes for the first time in Irish law and bring us into line with our European counterparts. It will also update our existing incitement to hatred laws dating from 1989 to ensure compliance with EU law and to better reflect modern methods of communicating. In doing so, it will update...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Protection (18 Apr 2024)

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). This includes resource management for the service. I am informed by the Garda authorities that they can confirm that GDPR was not, at any point, a factor when responding to the Deputy's previous...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (18 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: I understand that officials in the Family Reunification Unit of my Department have issued correspondence by email and post directly to the solicitor of the applicant referred to by the Deputy on 17 April 2024. The Family Reunification Unit will continue to engage with the applicant and their solicitor on this matter. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Bodies (18 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 and 245 together. 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: Family Reunification (18 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The current immigration arrangements for family reunification are set out in the Policy Document for Non-EEA Family Reunification, which is available on my Department's website. The policy document sets out the rationale for applying resource requirements as part of the overall assessment of whether to approve an application for family reunification. In general, Healthcare assistants are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Seekers (18 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that my Department takes all necessary steps to manage the international protection process efficiently and effectively, while ensuring the integrity of those processes is maintained at all times. Making sure that applications are processed quickly means those who need our protection are given the opportunity to re-build their life in Ireland in a timely manner. It also means...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (18 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State. Any person who has been ordered to leave the State and fails to do so is committing a criminal offence, and can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána. Such an order remains on the person’s record permanently – it means they cannot enter Ireland again in future, and it will...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Seekers (18 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department is responsible for front-line Immigration at Dublin Airport only, as such the below figures reflect the position at Dublin Airport. Other airports and other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) and data as requested is not collated in this manner for other ports of entry. The BMU and the GNIB...