Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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60. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to a study undertaken by the European Network Against Racism which noted there has been an increase in the number of race-related hate crimes here; if the reasons this has been occurring have been identified; her plans for initiatives and programmes to prevent future occurrences; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15529/17]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I am of course concerned about any level of racist incidents and particularly racist crime.

There are mechanisms in place to deal with hate crime. Where a criminal offence such as assault, criminal damage or a public order offence is committed against a person based on their race, religion, colour, ethnicity or some other ground, the offence is prosecuted through the wider criminal law. It is also accepted that such an offence is more serious on account of the hate or prejudice motivating the crime and Irish courts do consider evidence of a crime being motivated by hate or prejudice as an aggravating factor at sentencing.

The Garda Racial Intercultural and Diversity Office (GRIDO) has responsibility for coordinating, monitoring and advising on all aspects of policing Ireland's diverse communities. GRIDO monitors the reporting and recording of hate and racist crime on a continual basis. Garda Ethnic Liaison Officers (ELOs) are appointed to work with minority communities at local level throughout the country. These officers, together with GRIDO, play a fundamental role in liaising with minority groups. They provide advice and assistance to victims of hate or racist crime as required.

In addition to the work of the Gardaí, the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration, an Office of my Department, is the focal point for the Government's commitment on anti-racism as a key aspect of integration, diversity management and broader national social policy.

A new Migrant Integration Strategy was published on 7 February. The Integration Strategy includes a number of actions to promote intercultural awareness and to combat racism and xenophobia. It includes an action to review the current legislation on racially motivated crime with a view to strengthening the law on hate crime.

An open Call for Proposals was held under the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund in September to November 2016. Actions that combat racism are identified as a priority in Ireland's National Programme under the Fund. Some of the projects selected are focusing on actions to combat racism.

A call for applications for national funding to promote integration has also been held. Activities to combat racism and xenophobia will be funded through this mechanism.