Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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1291. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the payment options available for persons to pay fines, charges or bills by her Department; and if there are plans to provide further online payment facilities. [16291/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I understand from my officials that it is possible for persons to make payments to my Department in a number of ways, and that there were a small number of fees in 2020 which were paid by Electronic Funds Transfer, postal order and cheque.

Furthermore, I understand that my officials in the Immigration Service Delivery function of the Department are currently operating online payments in the following areas:

1. Atypical Work Scheme.

2. Registration Fees - Online Registration Renewal System.

3. Citizenship Certificate Fees.

Looking to the future, there are plans in place to develop a fully digital customer centric immigration service, including the continued roll out of  online payment platforms for various processing/application fees. 

As the Deputy may be aware, I commit to delivering a fair immigration system for a digital age in Goal Four of the recently published Justice Action Plan 2021. Goal Four of the Justice Plan 2021 contains 6 objectives, and a timeline for relevant objectives and actions for 2021 are provided as follows:

- Publish a roadmap for the transition of all immigration services to online application processes by Q1;

- As part of a new ICT Strategy for the Department of Justice, publish a digital strategy for immigration by Q1; Begin accepting online payments for visa applications Q2 Immigration Service Delivery.