Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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577. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will introduce a dedicated animal crime unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55356/23]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, policy and legislation surrounding animal health and welfare rests under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

One of the National Parks and Wildlife Service's (NPWS) strategic goals is to safeguard nature and to help prevent wildlife crime. Anyone who suspects a wildlife crime has been committed can contact their nearest NPWS Conservation Ranger or via email to WildlifeEnforcement@npws.gov.ie. Further details are available on the NPWS website.

The Local Authorities also have specific powers regarding animal welfare under a range of Acts, including the Control of Dogs Acts, the Control of Horses Acts and the Animal Health and Welfare Acts.

A person may still also make a report to their local/nearest Garda Station, or in an emergency by dialling 999/112.

As Minister I am unable to seek to direct the Garda Commissioner in regards to the establishment of any Garda units, as the Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business.

However, the Deputy may wish to be aware of my Department's Rural Safety Plan, which is the result of strong collaboration between all the relevant organisations and brings together the excellent work already underway in relation to rural safety. The Plan is not intended to replace, but rather supplement, this work. The vision of the Rural Safety Plan is for people and communities in rural Ireland to feel safe and be safe in their homes, their places of work, and their local environments.

One of the five areas covered by the Plan is that of animal crime.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, a Stamp 3 immigration permission allows the holder to stay in Ireland for a specified period, subject to conditions, and is reckonable as residence when applying for citizenship by naturalisation. It is renewable, subject to the conditions for the permission being met, one of which is that the holder cannot work or engage in any business, trade or profession.

The policy concerning these conditions as to the ability to work or engage in business is currently under review by officials in my Department.

At present, in order for a non-EEA national on a Stamp 3 immigration permission to be allowed to work in the State, they must apply for and be granted an employment permit by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE). A prospective employer must first obtain an employment permit in respect of them.

Should the person concerned be successful in securing the appropriate employment permit from the DETE, they will then be able to register on a Stamp 1 immigration permission with their local registration office.

Further information relating to employment permits can be found at: www.enterprise.gov.ie.

It is also open to the person concerned to apply for a change of their immigration status if they meet the criteria for doing so. Detailed information on how to change immigration status is available at:

www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/changing-your-immigration-permission/

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by email using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the email service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.