Tuesday, 26 Apr 2016

Written Answers Nos. 224-238

Immigration Status

Questions (224)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

224. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current or expected status of a person (details supplied) with particular reference to correspondence sent to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8389/16]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that correspondence on the matter was received on 20th April, 2016. A reply has issued which the person concerned should receive in the coming days.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department 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 INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Garda Vetting of Personnel

Questions (225)

Clare Daly

Question:

225. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she is aware that an organisation (details supplied) is charging persons €30 for Garda vetting; if organisations are permitted to charge for Garda vetting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8400/16]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I wish to inform the Deputy that An Garda Síochána does not charge a fee for the processing of Garda Vetting applications by the Garda Central Vetting Unit. The question of fees, if any, that may be charged by a given organisation for the administrative services it provides to applicants is a matter for the individual organisation concerned.

Visa Applications

Questions (226)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

226. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current processing times of visa applications for each type of visa; the number of visa applications for each type of visa, that are not being processed in the target time, from the years 2011 to 2015 and to date in 2016; the number of staff allocated for the processing of visa applications, in the years 2011 to 2015 and to date in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8407/16]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that information on visa applications currently being processed in the Dublin Visa Office is published weekly on the INIS website at http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Current_Processing_Times.

The Dublin Visa Office processes applications that have been referred by Irish Missions to Dublin for decision or have been submitted directly by applicants.

Visa applications received in overseas offices and Irish missions abroad are typically processed within two to three weeks (often less for non-complicated applications). Information on applications under consideration is published on the websites of the relevant embassies.

In general, the Deputy may wish to note that the dates published are for information purposes only. While every effort is made to process applications as quickly as possible, processing times will vary having regard to the volume of applications, their complexity, the possible need for the Visa Office to seek further information in relation to certain applications, and the resources available.

INIS do not maintain annual data on visa applications not processed to conclusion within the published business targets. However, it should be noted that target times for the processing of visas are established as a business target and do not constitute a legal obligation. These business targets reflect the detailed assessment that is required to be carried out in relation to applications.

The number of staff allocated for dedicated visa processing is set out in the table below:

Visa Office	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Dublin	13	11	11	11	9	10
Abu Dhabi	4	4	4	4	4	4
Abuja	4	4	4	4	4	4
Ankara	not applicable	not applicable	1	3	3	3
Beijing	3	3	3	3	3	3
London	5	5	5	5	5	5
Moscow	3	3	3	4	4	4
New Delhi	4	4	4	4	4	4

The figures for the Dublin Office relate only to the number of staff in the visa processing unit, and is supplemented by the temporary reassignment of staff from the rest of the organisation as well as overtime at peak periods. In addition, the overseas offices also utilise local staff to assist in administrative tasks associated with the receipt of visa applications. Such staff are not included in the table.

In addition staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also process visa applications in certain circumstances in Irish missions abroad under delegated sanction. The number of staff allocated to visa processing by that Department is not available to me.

Citizenship Status

Questions (227)

Niall Collins

Question:

227. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if a person (details supplied) is entitled to Irish citizenship, having previously applied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8428/16]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I am advised the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that an application for naturalisation for the person concerned was refused in October 2012. At that time, the applicant did not fulfil the residency conditions under Section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

It is open to any individual to lodge an application for citizenship if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory requirements as prescribed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended. Detailed information on Irish citizenship and naturalisation, including a residency calculator is available on the INIS website at www.inis.gov.ie.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS 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 INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Mental Health Commission

Questions (228)

Seán Haughey

Question:

228. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to reform the Lunacy Regulation Act; the progress made to date to enact an Assisted Decision Making Bill; if it is intended to abolish the provision prohibiting those with an intellectual disability from having sexual relations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8447/16]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

Section 7 of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 repeals the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 and the Marriage of Lunatics Act 1811. As the Deputy will be aware, the Act was signed by the President on 30 December 2015 but has yet to come into force. New administrative processes and support measures, including the setting up of the Decision Support Service within the Mental Health Commission, must be put in place before the legislation comes into force. As indicated by Minister Lynch during the debates on the Bill in the Seanad commencement of this Act is planned for the latter half of 2016.

The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015 was passed by the Seanad on 26 January this year. When enacted, the Bill will reform Section 5 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 to facilitate the full participation in family life of persons with intellectual disabilities and the full expression of their human rights. Achieving the necessary balance between those rights and ensuring appropriate protection is crucial.

Naturalisation Certificates

Questions (229, 230)

Eamon Ryan

Question:

229. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 342 of 14 April 2016, the numbers for each of the countries for the top 20 nationalities that have been naturalised, for each of the years 2006 to 2015, inclusive. [8473/16]

Eamon Ryan

Question:

230. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the top 20 current European Union nationalities that have been naturalised, including the number per country per year, for each of the years 2006 to 2015, inclusive. [8474/16]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 229 and 230 together.

The following tables show the breakdown of (1) the numbers from the top twenty nationalities, that have been naturalised, for each of the years 2006 to 2015 inclusive and (2) the numbers from the top twenty European Union nationalities, that have been naturalised, for each of the years 2006 to 2015 inclusive.

1. The Top twenty nationalities granted naturalisation:

-	2006	No.	2007	No.	2008	No.	2009	No.	2010	No.	2011	No.	2012	No.	2013	No.	2014	No.	2015	No.
1	Pakistan	220	Pakistan	195	Nigeria	319	Nigeria	439	Nigeria	979	Philippines	1,766	Nigeria	5,693	Nigeria	5,783	Nigeria	3,287	India	1,611
2	Nigeria	83	Nigeria	141	Pakistan	197	Philippines	410	Philippines	625	Nigeria	1,228	Philippines	3,847	India	3,011	India	2,939	Nigeria	1,360
3	Kosovo	81	India	114	India	163	India	334	India	434	India	955	India	2,623	Philippines	2,485	Philippines	2,184	Philippines	1,167
4	India	80	Russia	79	Russia	158	South Africa	315	South Africa	345	Bangladesh	702	Pakistan	1,292	Pakistan	1,805	Pakistan	1,244	Poland	1,161
5	Congo	54	Congo	60	China	113	Russia	246	Pakistan	291	Ukraine	445	Ukraine	819	Ukraine	695	Romania	1,029	Romania	901
6	Russia	41	USA	53	South Africa	108	Pakistan	195	Russia	249	Pakistan	434	China	800	China	656	Poland	939	Pakistan	733
7	Romania	43	Kosovo	42	Ukraine	103	USA	155	Bangladesh	231	South Africa	424	South Africa	707	Romania	564	China	576	China	474
8	USA	37	Romania	42	USA	91	Ukraine	149	China	219	China	418	Moldova	638	Moldova	552	South Africa	563	Brazil	393
9	Vietnam	37	South Africa	41	Zimbabwe	87	Bangladesh	144	Ukraine	200	Russia	306	Bangladesh	568	Poland	507	Ukraine	536	South Africa	369
10	Somalia	36	Sudan	40	Philippines	83	China	133	Sudan	159	Moldova	284	Russia	467	South Africa	488	Brazil	459	Latvia	328
11	China	27	China	37	Sudan	83	Sudan	117	Zimbabwe	144	Sudan	284	Romania	459	Iraq	417	Congo	422	Ukraine	323
12	Sudan	27	Ukraine	33	Congo	82	Romania	112	Romania	131	Zimbabwe	189	Sudan	420	Bangladesh	403	Moldova	356	USA	246
13	Bosnia	25	Iraq	32	Iraq	77	Zimbabwe	112	USA	122	Belarus	184	Poland	360	Russia	328	Russia	319	Congo	245
14	South Africa	25	Bosnia & Herzegovina	31	Romania	73	Congo	106	Congo	113	USA	151	Ghana	297	Congo	313	USA	304	Thailand	208
15	Hong Kong	22	Egypt	30	Moldova	67	Belarus	70	Moldova	111	Thailand	139	USA	263	Sudan	292	Thailand	274	Sudan	179
16	Angola	18	Somalia	29	Angola	61	Moldova	70	Belarus	101	Romania	138	Zimbabwe	260	Ghana	287	Sudan	253	Hungary	172
17	UK	22	Angola	28	Croatia	60	UK	57	UK	97	Congo	132	Iraq	250	Somalia	263	Latvia	225	Russia	154
18	Egypt	18	Philippines	28	UK	60	Malaysia	54	Egypt	87	Egypt	129	Egypt	248	Iran	255	Bangladesh	222	Malaysia	149
19	Libya	18	Vietnam	28	Kosovo	57	Croatia	53	Somalia	73	Turkey	122	Belarus	219	Algeria	253	Algeria	221	Bangladesh	141
20	Croatia	16	Hong Kong	27	Algeria	52	Australia	52	Malaysia	69	Malaysia	120	Thailand	209	Brazil	245	Ghana	218	Zimbabwe	133

2. Top European Union nationalities granted naturalisation:

-	2006	No.	2007	No.	2008	No.	2009	No.	2010	No.	2011	No.	2012	No.	2013	No.	2014	No.	2015	No.
1	Romania	43	Romania	42	Romania	73	Romania	112	Romania	131	Romania	138	Romania	459	Romania	564	Romania	1,029	Poland	1,161
2	UK	22	UK	21	Croatia	60	UK	57	UK	97	UK	70	Poland	360	Poland	507	Poland	939	Romania	901
3	Croatia	16	Bulgaria	14	UK	60	Croatia	53	Croatia	63	Croatia	68	Croatia	119	Latvia	150	Latvia	225	Latvia	328
4	Poland	12	Croatia	9	Bulgaria	23	Bulgaria	37	Bulgaria	39	Bulgaria	45	Latvia	106	Bulgaria	83	Hungary	137	Hungary	172
5	Germany	5	Italy	4	Poland	9	Latvia	15	Poland	29	Latvia	25	Bulgaria	89	Lithuania	80	Lithuania	103	Lithuania	126
6	Latvia	4	Latvia	4	Latvia	8	Poland	13	Latvia	19	Poland	25	UK	85	Hungary	77	Bulgaria	100	Bulgaria	107
7	Portugal	2	Poland	4	Germany	6	Germany	9	Germany	17	Germany	22	Lithuania	45	Croatia	64	Croatia	67	UK	54
8	Czech Republic	3	Czech Republic	2	France	5	Lithuania	9	Lithuania	14	Lithuania	14	Hungary	38	UK	55	UK	51	Italy	38
9	France	1	Germany	2	Slovak Republic	3	Hungary	5	France	10	Estonia	7	Germany	17	Estonia	40	Estonia	43	Slovak Republic	36
10			Hungary	2	Czech Republic	2	Slovak Republic	5	The Netherlands	8	Italy	7	Slovak Republic	17	Slovak Republic	34	Slovak Republic	43	Germany	34
11			Cyprus	1	The Netherlands	2	Finland	4	Slovak Republic	8	Czech Republic	5	Estonia	16	Italy	21	Italy	35	Croatia	33
12			Portugal	1	Denmark	1	The Netherlands	4	Estonia	6	France	5	France	13	Czech Republic	13	Czech Republic	32	Czech Republic	30
13					Greece	1	Czech Republic	3	Czech Republic	5	Spain	4	Czech Republic	11	Portugal	13	Germany	26	Estonia	26
14					Italy	1	Estonia	2	Italy	5	Slovak Republic	3	Italy	11	Germany	11	France	24	France	25
15					Lithuania	1	Greece	2	Spain	3	Cyprus	2	The Netherlands	11	France	10	Spain	22	Spain	14
16					Spain	1	Italy	2	Greece	2	Finland	2	Portugal	8	Spain	9	Greece	17	Portugal	11
17							Malta	2	Portugal	2	Sweden	2	Greece	6	Greece	8	Sweden	9	Greece	8
18							Portugal	2	Austria	1	Austria	1	Spain	5	The Netherlands	6	The Netherlands	6	The Netherlands	7
19							Spain	2	Hungary	1	Hungary	1	Slovenia	2	Finland	4	Cyprus	4	Belgium	5
20							Belgium	1			The Netherlands	1	Sweden	2	Belgium	3	Portugal	4	Slovenia	2

Question No. 231 answered with Question No. 187.

Immigration Status

Questions (232)

James Lawless

Question:

232. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department will examine the case of a person (details supplied) regarding an immigration visa; the supports available to the person's family; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8516/16]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person referred to entered the State as a student on a Stamp 2 student visa on the 4th March, 2007. The person concerned made an application to change their immigration status from Stamp 2 to Stamp 4. This application was refused on the 26 November, 2015. Judicial Review proceedings were issued on 17 December, 2015 seeking to quash the refusal decision. As the matter is sub judice am not in a position to comment further.

Visa Applications

Questions (233)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if family reunification will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 4 who wishes their daughter to live with them here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8518/16]

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that there is a standard application process worldwide for applications of this nature, the guidelines for which are available on the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service website - (http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Join%20Family). The person referred to by the Deputy has not submitted an application to the Visa Office, it is open to them to do so at any time.

The Deputy may wish to note that queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS 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 INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

In addition, applicants may themselves e-mail queries directly to INIS ([e-mail]).

Early Childhood Care and Education

Questions (234)

Regina Doherty

Question:

234. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if three children, triplets, who turned three on 15 October 2015, are entitled to free preschool which commenced in January 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8063/16]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

In Budget 2016 I announced the extension of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which means that children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they reach the age of 3, and can continue in free pre-school until they start primary school (once the child is not older than 5½ years at the end of the pre-school year i.e. end June).

In order to provide the early years sector with the time to build capacity to meet this increased demand, a decision was taken to introduce this new measure from September 2016. It was not possible to introduce the extended programme from January 2016. It is appreciated that this does mean that a small cohort of children, including those mentioned by the Deputy, while continuing to avail of the 38 week entitlement to free pre-school currently provided under the ECCE programme, will not benefit from additional free pre-school provided under this new budgetary measure. However, should an earlier start date have been chosen, the likelihood is that there would not have been sufficient capacity in the sector to accommodate all children.

You will appreciate that this extended provision, when introduced, will ensure that, from the age of three, all children in Ireland will be able to access free education, either in pre-school or in primary school. This is a significant step forward for children and families.

Social Workers Recruitment

Questions (235)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

235. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of recruiting an extra 275 social workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8013/16]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

Tusla has advised that it would cost in the region of €13.5m to recruit an additional 275 social workers. This figure is based on the mid-point of salary scale plus an additional 25% to cover employer PRSI, travel and other non-pay costs associated with the performance of the function.

Insurance Costs

Questions (236)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

236. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he is concerned at the rise in the cost of insurance premiums in the child care sector; if he will intervene and support crèches that are at risk of closure due to these increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8175/16]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

Insurance cover is one of a number of costs that impact on the sustainability of services providing care and education in the early years sector.

Early years childcare services are supported through a number of childcare support programmes implemented by my Department. In the region of €260 million has been provided annually over the past number of years to support these programmes. An additional €85 million package of investment for childcare was announced in Budget 2016. This additional funding will provide for the extension of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in which more than 4,000 childcare services are participating and will significantly increase the demand for pre-school services. The funding will also provide for the restoration of ECCE capitation rates from September 2016 back up to pre-2012 levels. It will further support the expansion of the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) which is now targeted at private childcare providers for the first time. These additional funding opportunities are expected to have a positive impact on the income of childcare providers and will enable them to address some of their overhead costs.

There is no additional funding available to my Department outside of that provided under the support programmes to enable my Department to assist early years services that have sustainability issues. However, the City and County and Childcare Committees and Pobal, which are funded by this Department, will work closely with and support services that have sustainability concerns. I am aware that Early Childhood Ireland (ECI) which represents a large number of early years childcare services can also provide useful advice to providers in relation to insurance cover.

Child and Family Agency Staff

Questions (237)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

237. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he is satisfied regarding the availability of sufficient aftercare workers to Tusla - Child and Family Agency to ensure full implementation of the provisions of the Childcare (Amendment) Act 2015 for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8315/16]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

As these are operational matters, I have asked Tusla - Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.

Child and Family Agency Services

Questions (238)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

238. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the projected numbers of young persons expected to be leaving care over the next three years by county basis; if adequate resources are in place to ensure that all young persons leaving care can be allocated an aftercare worker and aftercare services in line with their ongoing needs; his plans to ensure that adequate resources are in place to ensure the allocation of such required aftercare for young persons leaving care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8316/16]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

As these are operational matters, I have asked Tusla - Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.