Written Answers Nos. 162-169
162. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he is satisfied that the Data Commissioner has the capacity and the resources to adequately monitor whether private companies, particularly those making use of external contractors who are in possession of sensitive data pertaining to members of the public are fully adhering to data protection legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2980/14]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that I have already made available significant additional supports and resources to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, which included a 20% increase in its budget for 2013 (compared with 2012) and a 9% increase in its 2014 budget (compared with 2013). These significant increases are noteworthy given that budgets for many public sector organisations have been reduced significantly, having regard to the current economic circumstances. Additional staffing resources have also been put in place, including specialist staff (which include a Chief Technology Advisor and a legal advisor) and additional administrative staff. The Government, and I as Minister, will continue to keep the resourcing of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner actively under review and my aim is to ensure that the Commissioner has the necessary resources to continue to meet the ongoing demands of this expanding sector, including the monitoring of private companies who are in possession of sensitive data relating to members of the public.
163. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Gardaí stationed in Raheny and Coolock districts in the Dublin metropolitan region; if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the numbers by station and the role of each member; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3004/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel, including Community Gardaí, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. I have however been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the personnel strength of each Garda Station in the Coolock and Raheny Garda Districts, broken down by rank, on 30 November 2013, the latest date for which figures are readily available, is set out in the table hereunder:
|
Station |
Civilian |
Reserve |
Gda |
Sgt |
Insp |
Supt |
|
Coolock |
11 |
8 |
94 |
13 |
4 |
1 |
|
Malahide |
1 |
1 |
31 |
3 |
- |
|
|
Swords |
2 |
9 |
62 |
11 |
1 |
- |
|
Clontarf |
1 |
2 |
64 |
5 |
1 |
- |
|
Howth |
1 |
3 |
33 |
4 |
1 |
- |
|
Raheny |
6 |
7 |
51 |
9 |
2 |
1 |
For security and operational reasons, it is not Garda policy and it would not be in the public interest to disclose detailed information on the role of each member.
164. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the steps taken by his Department to implement the recommendations of the Barr report following the Abbeylara siege, including improved firearms training for gardai, new non-lethal weapons and improvements to the command structure of the emergency response unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3014/14]
View answerI have sought a report from the Garda Commissioner on the matter. I will communicate further with the Deputy when the report is to hand.
165. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service only answers the telephone between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.; the number of immigration officers who worked for his Department from the years 1990 to 1998, inclusive; the number currently employed; whether a non-national who has an Irish-born child will be given Irish citizenship; and the citizenship status of an Irish-born child to two non-nationals. [3101/14]
View answerIn relation to the first matter raised by the Deputy, I am advised that the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department operates a number of helplines to facilitate clients in making enquiries on immigration and citizenship issues. These helplines are provided between certain set periods each week, for example, the citizenship helpline is available two mornings a week from 10am to 12.30pm. The periods for which the helplines operate strikes a balance between facilitating customers in making queries to INIS and the overall priority of ensuring that immigration and citizenship applications are processed as quickly as possible. In addition to the provision of helpline services, email facilities are also provided, allowing customers to contact INIS at their own convenience. Details of all helpline and email services are set out on the INIS website, www.inis.gov.ie. It must also be emphasised that INIS, together with the Garda National Immigration Bureau, provides public services at its offices at Burgh Quay in respect of registration of non-EEA persons residing in the State and for applicants seeking re-entry visas. Furthermore, on a daily basis the office receives a number of callers seeking information or for other business. In total the number of persons attending the office is in the region of 130,000 per annum.
Regarding the second part of the Question concerning Immigration Officers, provision is made at section 3(1) of the Immigration Act 2004 for the Minister for Justice and Equality to appoint such and so many persons as he or she considers appropriate (referred to in the Act of 2004 as “Immigration Officers”) to perform the functions conferred on Immigration Officers by the Act . The majority of persons appointed as Immigration Officers are Members of An Garda Síochána with the remainder comprising officials of my Department working in the immigration area who have been appointed as Immigration Officers for the purposes of carrying out their duties. Figures for the number of persons appointed Immigration Officers in the period 1990 to 1998 are not available. However, I can inform the Deputy that since 2004 the total number of Gardaí and officials of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service appointed as Immigration Officers under the Immigration Act 2004 is 623. It should be noted that all persons who were acting as an Immigration Officer prior to the commencement of the 2004 Immigration Act were upon commencement of the Act deemed to have been appointed as an Immigration Officer under section 3 of the Act.
Finally, it is not clear in respect of the citizenship element of the Question as to whether the Deputy has a particular case in mind and in the absence of specific details it is difficult to evaluate eligibility for citizenship. However, the general position is that the mere fact of having a child born in Ireland confers no additional rights to citizenship for its parents. The eligibility of parents to be considered for naturalisation will depend on the nature, duration and legality of their own residence in accordance with the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, (as amended). The child's own eligibility for citizenship at birth will, under the same Act, depend on the status of his/her parents, for instance whether one of them is an Irish national, or, in the case of a foreign national parent, whether they have, prior to the child's birth, met the residency requirements of the Act.
166. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of outstanding warrants in each Garda District in the Dublin Metropolitan Region as of 16 January 2014. [3115/14]
View answerI have requested a report from the Garda authorities in relation to the information sought by the Deputy and I will contact him directly when the report is to hand.
167. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding a grant for a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3179/14]
View answerNeither my Department nor An Garda Síochána provide grants for the purchase of mobile phones for use in Text Alert Schemes. Guidelines for establishing and operating a Community Text Alert Service have been published and are available on the Garda Website www.garda.ie and information and advice on establishing such a scheme is available from local Community Gardaí.
168. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on whether all senior appointments to taxpayer-funded positions in the public service under the remit of his Department, including appointment to State boards, should be publicly advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3200/14]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that my Department, in making senior appointments, always acts in accordance with the requirements of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 or other applicable legislation. It adheres to best practice and the requirements laid out in the Code of Practice of the Commission for Public Service Appointments. Except where there is legislation to the contrary, all appointments to State boards under the remit of my Department are publicly advertised in accordance with the Government decision regarding Appointments to State Boards, dated 12 April 2011.
169. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the total amount of outsourcing that has been achieved in his Department since the letter sent by Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in March 2012; the names of the outsourcing companies that have been involved; the total savings achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3304/14]
View answerMy Department has availed of outsourcing in connection with support services for several years. For example, since 2009, the Department’s IT Shared Service has been provided through an outsourced arrangement. The Department’s Financial Shared Service Centre (FSS) in Killarney has also been providing payroll and other financial services to the Department and its agencies, and to a number of other Government Departments, on a shared service basis, for some years. In relation to payroll services, the FSS is providing one of the three locations for the Government’s central payroll shared service. In line with the letter sent by the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform my Department continues to examine its own work and the work of its agencies to identify areas of work suitable for external service delivery. This includes areas which could maximise the services that are already delivered to one agency and may be extended to other agencies.
For the Deputy’s information a table outlining those services outsourced since March 2012 is below.
|
Service |
Companies |
Savings |
Agency |
|
ICT Support Services |
-IBM Ireland Ltd -Hibernia Evros |
€350,000 in 2012 through commencement of a new Technical Support Contract with IBM. €650,000 in 2013 through transfer of Deskside Support Services from IBM to Hibernia Evros (€500k) and discontinuation of an additional support pillar (€150K). Total savings €1m. |
Department of Justice & Equality |
|
Managed Print Service |
-Bryan S Ryan |
Cannot yet be measured. The service is currently being rolled out. It will not be possible to measure the extent of savings until this has been completed and the service has been operating for a reasonable time period. |
Department of Justice & Equality |
|
Inspections relating to the enforcement of the Private Security Services Acts 2004 and 2011 |
Advertised for and recruited a panel of individuals to work as external inspectors. |
Commenced in Q4 2013. On an ongoing basic salary savings are estimated at approx. €200 per day's inspection. |
Private Security Authority |
