Written Answers Nos. 147-155
147. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he has been provided with information from An Garda Síochána on current Members of the Oireachtas, both TDs and Senators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24819/13]
View answer148. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he has been provided with information from An Garda Síochána on current Members of the Oireachtas; the law or regulation under which he is entitled to such information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24820/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 148 together.
In the course of my statement in this House on 21 May, I made it perfectly clear that there is no suggestion of my being routinely provided with information on members of the Oireachtas. I gave the House a solemn assurance that I am not in the business of receiving, seeking or maintaining confidential, sensitive information from An Garda Síochána about Members of this House, the Seanad or, indeed, anyone in political life. Nor are the Garda in the business of providing it. I also repeat my view that it would be entirely unacceptable if the Garda were to collect information about anyone, whether in public life or not, for political purposes. I made the point that the House would appreciate that there could be exceptional circumstances, which the Deputy will appreciate, where it would be necessary for the Minister for Justice of the day to receive confidential information about the activities of members of the House - for example if members of the House were involved with organisations carrying out terrorist activities. As I indicated to the House, section 41 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 provides a clear statutory basis for the information which is provided to me by An Garda Síochána. In turn, I am subject to the laws of the land in relation to what use I make of that information. More importantly, I am responsible to the House for how I discharge my office.
149. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will expedite an application for naturalisation in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24838/13]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy in October 2012. The application is at an advanced stage of processing and the applicant will be informed of my decision as expeditiously as possible.
As well as being a significant event in the life of its recipient, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation as provided for in law is also a major step for the State which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level. It is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility 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 Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the service is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
150. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 308 of 25 September 2012, if there is any sign of the report into the incidents being completed and victims being able to gain some closure from the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24868/13]
View answerI have requested an updated report from the Garda authorities in relation to the matter in question. I will contact the Deputy directly as soon as the report is to hand.
151. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if prisoners to be accommodated in Harristown House, Castlerea, County Roscommon, are to be allowed to leave the grounds of Castlerea Prison to access the town, as outlined at last week's meeting with some public representatives, or prohibited from such access, as outlined by the Irish Prison Service at a recent meeting with the community; if he will assure the community that no prisoner convicted of a sexual offence or murder will be accommodated in this facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24881/13]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that prisoners accommodated in Harristown House will not be permitted to access the town other than to avail of therapeutic services such as Alcoholics Anonymous, as is currently the case. I can also inform the Deputy that no prisoners convicted of a sexual offence will be accommodated at the facility. In relation to prisoners convicted of murder, no decision has yet been made as to the category of prisoner to be housed in the facility. Therefore, at this stage I cannot inform the Deputy of the precise type of prisoner to be housed at Harristown House, other than the above exclusion of sex offenders. However, I can advise that the usual stringent eligibility criteria which apply to other prisoners being moved within the prison system to lower security prisons and institutions will be taken into account, fully considered and assessed. In all these assessments, the safety of the public will be the over-riding consideration.
152. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide details of progress made regarding pilot restorative justice programmes in Wheatfield Prison and the Dóchas Centre, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24882/13]
View answerThe development of prisoner programmes forms a central part of the Irish Prison Service's three-year strategic plan from 2012 to 2015. There is a clear commitment in the strategy to examining the possibility of introducing, on a pilot basis, restorative justice practices in a prisons context. A multidisciplinary steering group was set up to explore and identify potential restorative practice opportunities and to subsequently formulate a plan to provide prisoners with a further avenue to address and take responsibility for their offending behaviour; make reparations to the community; and raise victim awareness among the prison population.
The project is at implementation stage in two pilot sites, Wheatfield Prison and the Dóchas Centre. The IPS has identified a number of areas where restorative practices can be introduced within both sites. Intensive training on both pilot sites in conjunction with an accredited training provider, The International Institute of Restorative Practices, has been provided. To date, five "introduction to restorative practices in a secure setting" courses, and three "facilitator skills" training courses have been hosted in Wheatfield and the Dóchas Centre. In addition, conducting "restorative adjudications" training was provided for all senior managers involved in conducting disciplinary hearings and key staff have attended conferences, courses and seminars to further their knowledge.
Links within the wider Criminal Justice system have been developed. It is intended to formally build on these to share training resources and experiences. This intensive training programme, provided for key personnel including heads of function, senior managers, supervisors and class officers, will ensure all staff involved are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to implement restorative practices in their area of responsibility.
A series of restorative practices initiatives is being advanced in both sites which include, inter alia, information campaigns, conflict resolution and embedding restorative justice approaches to certain disciplinary adjudications. The project has been welcomed and supported by prisoners, staff and management of Wheatfield and the Dóchas Centre.
153. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the joint Irish Prison Service and Probation Service proposal on social impact investment has been completed; the details of the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24883/13]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Government Programme for National Recovery 2011-2016 provides that the Government will establish a new model of financing social interventions, called Social Impact Investment, that focus on outcomes for particular target groups and attract private capital to support social provision. The Programme gives a commitment under the Justice and Law Reform heading to examine outcome-based contracts with community organisations to help reduce offending among young people. As part of its 2012-14 strategic plan, in conjunction with the Department of Justice and Equality and the Probation Service, the Irish Prison Service undertook to examine the feasibility of a Social Impact Investment Project. The objective of the project is to provide a programme of support to targeted short sentence prisoners, commencing in prison but particularly on their release, to reduce re-offending and enable reintegration in their communities. It is also an objective of the project to offer an opportunity to engage effectively with services that could support them in leading a more productive lifestyle on their release.
Accordingly, this project seeks to provide the services likely to have an impact on reoffending to the cohort of short-term sentenced prisoners who do not normally have the benefit of targeted, wrap around services. An interdepartmental steering group was established by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in September 2012. The Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service are represented on the Steering Group. Having carried out an evaluation of the proposal, at present, the joint Irish Prison Service and Probation Service proposal may not be feasible due to the fact that commensurate savings cannot be realised within either services vote to offset the cost of repaying the investment. As an alternative, both services have recently introduced a number of initiatives which focus on working with short-term sentenced prisoners, helping with issues such as housing, medical care, substance abuse and training needs. The aim is to increase support to prisoners prior to their release from prison, upon their release and then for a period after their release in order to help break the cycle of reoffending.
154. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the postion regarding the planned review of St. Patrick's Institution, Dublin, following the transfer of all prisoners under the age of 18 years in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24884/13]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that as part of the Irish Prison Service's three-year strategic plan from 2012 to 2015, the Prison Service is devising a specific strategy for the management of young offenders to ensure the regime for young offenders is age-appropriate and best practice is observed. Central to this strategy is a review of the overall approach taken to the placement of 17 to 21 year olds throughout the system. This review is being undertaken by the Irish Prison Service. In this regard, it is my intention to introduce primary legislation for the purpose of closing St. Patrick's Institution as a detention centre for persons aged 21 and under.
155. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide details regarding the joint Irish Prison Service and Probation Service feasibility study on pre- and post-release programmes for short-term prisoners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24885/13]
View answerThe Deputy may be referring to the recent launch of the Community Support Scheme in Mountjoy Prison and The Dóchas Centre. This pilot initiative has been set up in response to the overcrowding problems and in an attempt to address the recidivism levels of those serving sentences of under 12 months. The Community Support Group will consist of a number of prison-based personnel as well as a Community Support Worker. This scheme follows on from an initiative set up in Cork, the Unlocking Community Alternatives Scheme, which aims to reduce the current recidivism rates of short-term prisoners by arranging for additional support structures and provide for a more structured form of temporary release. The primary aim of the Community Support Scheme is also to reduce the current recidivism rates by arranging for additional support structures and provide for a more structured form of temporary release. This is a pilot scheme and will be reviewed in 12 months to assess whether it has had a positive impact on reoffending rates. The group will engage with prisoners shortly after committal and will seek to identify risk factors, make appropriate referrals and prepare a sentence management plan in each case.
The Group will focus on working with prisoners from the Dublin area who are serving between 6 and 12 months by helping them with issues such as housing, medical care, substance abuse and training needs. The aim is to increase support to prisoners prior to their release from prison, upon their release and then for a period after their release to help break the cycle of reoffending. Offenders will have the option of being considered for temporary release conditional on them engaging with this scheme. Those who signal their wish not to engage will instead remain in custody until their sentence is complete. The Community Support Worker will continue to meet offenders following their release from custody to provide support to the participant and build on sentence planning, including referral to appropriate agencies and supports. In addition, progress and compliance with temporary release conditions will be monitored and Prison Service Headquarters will be receiving feedback on how the participants are faring in their return to the community.
