Written Answers Nos. 131-141
131. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 395 of 16 July 2015, the plans the Office of Public Works has to refurbish Roscommon Courthouse; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43307/15]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Courts Service Act 1998 provides that management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, including the provision of accommodation for court sittings. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service have informed me that the position in respect of Roscommon Courthouse is unchanged from that in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 395 of 16 July 2015. The Courts Service confirms that it remains committed to providing improved court facilities in Roscommon town and that the development of courthouse facilities in the town is part of its plans for the future. I am also informed that the Courts Service is in discussion with Roscommon County Council about the existing courthouse building.
132. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality why there is a cost to register for citizenship (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43308/15]
View answerThe Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011 (S.I. 569 of 2011) sets out the fees to be paid by an applicant for a certificate of naturalisation. An application fee of €175 is payable on application for a certificate of naturalisation and a certification fee is payable by applicants on the issue of a certificate of naturalisation. The standard certification fee is €950, while a reduced fee of €200 applies in the case of an application made on behalf of a minor or in certain cases where the application is made by a widow, widower or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen. In the case of refugees and stateless persons the certification fee is nil.
The standard fees payable by an applicant are designed to reflect the effort and cost involved in processing applications for a certificate of naturalisation.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process. I might also add that following the grant of citizenship it is no longer necessary for the person concerned to register their presence in the State with the Garda National Immigration Bureau which requires the payment of a fee of €300 per registration.
The Deputy will be aware that formal citizenship ceremonies have been introduced at no extra cost to applicants. These have been universally well received by participants as the ceremonies provide a sense of dignity and occasion that serves to underscore the importance to both the State and the applicant of the granting of Irish citizenship.
All of the fees payable under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 are kept under ongoing review by my Department. However, there are no plans to reduce or abolish these fees.
133. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 131 of 26 November 2015, if she will provide an update (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43314/15]
View answer139. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 131 of 26 November 2011, wherein it was asserted that there was no evidence to indicate that a member of staff of the Irish Prison Service leaked information to the media in relation to a case of a person (details supplied), if an investigation was conducted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43391/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 139 together.
I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the position in relation to personal information, regarding the person referred to, being leaked to the media remains as outlined in my previous response.
I can also inform the Deputy that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on an individual's sentence management plan.
134. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her overall target for the number of members of An Garda Síochána, given the previous Minister’s assertion that Garda numbers should not fall below 13,000 and given that the Garda Síochána website states that there are currently 12,882 gardaí. [43341/15]
View answer135. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if retirement from An Garda Síochána will outnumber the intended 1,150 additional recruits by the end 2016. [43342/15]
View answer136. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Justice and Equality given that Garda Síochána graduates require an additional eight months of on-the-job training before they attain full qualification, when she envisages that significant improvements in fully qualified Garda numbers will be achieved. [43343/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 134 to 136, inclusive, together.
The overall number of personnel available to the Garda Commissioner is close to 16,000. This figure comprises 12,866 members, 978 reserve members, and 2,012 civilians as of 31 October.
This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the capacity to provide effective, visible policing throughout the country. The number of Gardaí is crucial to this but, also of importance, is ensuring that the overall composition of the Garda workforce achieves the right balance between highly trained Gardaí and professional, skilled civilian staff, and that the Service harnesses the energy and skills of volunteers through the Garda Reserve.
In relation to Garda numbers I am committed to on-going seamless recruitment into the future and as the Deputy will be aware, provision has been made in Budget 2016 for the recruitment of 600 new Gardaí next year bringing to 1,150 the number of new Gardaí that will be recruited since the reopening of the Garda College in Templemore in September 2014. So far 295 of those new recruits are fully attested and are on the ground in communities nationwide. It is expected that a further 395 will attest by the end of 2016 which, taking account of projected retirements, will bring Garda numbers to around the 13,000 mark. I expect recruitment to continue at or around the current levels for the next number of years having regard to factors such as the level of retirements in any one year. In recent years there have been c. 300 retirements per year and this trend is expected to continue.
In relation to civilian staff of An Garda Síochána, they are employed in a wide range of management, administrative, technical and operational roles where they make an invaluable contribution to the delivery of effective policing services throughout the country. The increased budget allocation for An Garda Síochána in 2016, in addition to providing for the recruitment of 600 new Gardaí, provides for the recruitment of additional civilian experts, in particular to develop the Garda ICT investment programme. Having regard to international experience, I believe that there is undoubtedly value in exploring the opportunities for increasing the ratio of civilians to Gardaí, and for releasing Gardaí from administrative and other positions to front-line duties. The process which is currently ongoing to civilianise border control functions at Dublin airport and the transfer of these responsibilities from An Garda Síochána to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department is an excellent example of this. Further work in this area will be progressed in conjunction with the Garda Commissioner in the context of the report of the Garda Inspectorate of its review under the Haddington Road Agreement. The terms of reference of that review include all aspects of the operation and administration of An Garda Síochána including the structure, organisation and staffing of An Garda Síochána and the deployment of members and civilian staff to relevant and appropriate roles.
137. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of convicted sex offenders who will be released in the next 12 months under the current remission system having completed their sentences; the number of these who have engaged in a treatment programme to date, who are scheduled for release within 12 months and who she anticipates will have participated in such a programme prior to release; the nature of the programmes concerned; and the qualifications and training of those who provide such programmes. [43346/15]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the number of convicted sex offenders due for release between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016 is 104. Of these 104, 50 have participated in either individual or group based treatment and intervention with the Psychology Services. A further 5 have indicated that they wish to be engaged with assessment and treatment during 2016.
These figures do not include those offenders who are involved with the Probation Service and other services in terms of treatment and risk management and resettlement processes. At present, the Building Better Lives programme is located at Arbour Hill Prison. The Irish Prison Service is currently in the process of expanding this programme to the Midlands Prison Campus which accommodates a significant number of sexual offenders. This will allow for enhanced screening processes with this population, and the establishment of components of the Building Better Lives Programme in Midlands Prison.
These developments are aimed at developing the earliest possible engagement with an increased number of sexual offenders as part of their sentence management.
Individual and group based treatment is carried out by appropriately qualified and experienced Clinical, Counselling and Forensic Psychologists.
In addition, I should emphasise that sexual offenders released from prison who are subject to notification requirements under the Sex Offenders Act 2001 are required to notify the Gardaí of any change in their home address.
138. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of offences committed by persons on bail in each recorded category in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43364/15]
View answerThe Garda Síochána Act 2005 makes provision for the compilation and publication of crime statistics by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose.
I have requested the CSO to provide the available statistical information directly to the Deputy.
140. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the system in place to compensate or provide rectification to a person whose front door was broken and whose property was damaged as a result of action by An Garda Síochána. [43411/15]
View answerClaims from property owners for damage caused to their properties arising from searches undertaken by the Garda Síochána are delegated to and managed by the State Claims Agency. Claims relating to this matter should be submitted in writing to the Agency for consideration.
In general, however, the State Claims Agency will contest such claims unless there is evidence of negligence on the part of the Garda authorities and/or where the Gardaí did not have a search warrant or other lawful authority to carry out a forced entry operation. Search warrants authorise the Gardaí to use force to gain entry to a property, if necessary, and the Gardaí have no legal liability to the property owner for the damage caused in forcing entry to the property under a legally executed search warrant. The approach taken by the State Claims Agency in contesting these claims has been upheld in a number of claims brought to Court by property owners.
141. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the residency status and eligibility for long-term residency and naturalisation of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43413/15]
View answerIf the person whose details were supplied has made an application for asylum or subsidiary protection in the State, the Deputy will be aware that it is not the practice to comment on such applications until they have fully completed the Protection Process. This is in accordance with Section 19(1) of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) which provides for the protection of the identity of protection applicants.
With regard to residency status, the Deputy is reminded that protection applicants are issued with a temporary residence permission pending a final decision on their application. In the event that an applicant is finally determined not to be in need of protection, consideration is then given to whether the person should be granted leave to remain in the State on humanitarian grounds.
The question of eligibility to obtain long term residency or naturalisation does not arise at this time in the case of the person whose details were supplied.
