Written Answers Nos. 117-131
117. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will allow a person (details supplied) to travel home while an application for permission to remain here on the basis of marriage to an Irish national is processed. [37418/16]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person referred to by the Deputy arrived in the State on 25/09/2012, and that their most recent permission to remain in the State, on the basis of student conditions, expired on 29/09/2015. The person was accordingly refused renewal of registration by GNIB on 26/10/2016 because they were out of permission.
As the person concerned had married an Irish National in 2014 they subsequently wrote to INIS at the beginning of November 2016 for permission to remain in the State, as the spouse of an Irish National. Unfortunately, they did not complete the required application form nor submit all the required documents, so INIS could not process the application. I understand that the person concerned has not yet responded to the correspondence which subsequently issued from INIS on 17/11/2016 enclosing the application form and requesting the necessary documentation to support their application.
The Deputy may wish to note that 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 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 Parliamentary Question 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.
118. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí that are officially designated as community gardaí; the number of those gardaí that are using a non-garda.ie email address to correspond with members of the public; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37429/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.
I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that in regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Garda Division. It is the responsibility of the Divisional Officer to allocate personnel within his/her Division.
Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána. It provides a means of recognising that every community – both urban and rural – has its own concerns and expectations. In this regard I welcome the strong emphasis placed by the Commissioner's Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021 on further developing and supporting the community policing ethos of the organisation so that Gardaí spend more time in the community, gaining public confidence and trust and providing a greater sense of security. Proposed initiatives include the establishment of local Community Policing Teams (CPTs) headed by an Inspector and made up of Gardaí from across a range of areas to proactively work with the community to prevent and detect crime; and the establishment of Community Safety Fora in every District comprising local Gardaí, local communities and key stakeholders.
This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. In 2017, funding has been provided for the recruitment of 800 Garda recruits and up to 500 civilians to support the wide ranging reform plan in train in An Garda Síochána. Appointments will also be made to the Garda Reserve of approximately 300.
Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 will require some 3,200 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next four years in addition to the 1,200 that will have been recruited by the end of this year since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014.
I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that since the reopening of the College, 679 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. It is expected that Community Policing and all other Garda activities, will undoubtedly benefit from these resources now coming on stream.
The use of forms of communication in particular circumstances are operational matters for An Garda Síochána and policy and practice in this regard are a matter for the Garda Commissioner to determine. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that all Community Gardaí are provided with an official Garda email address for use as appropriate in the course of their duties.
For the Deputy's information the table shows the number, as provided by the Commissioner, of Community Gardaí assigned to each Garda Division on 30 September 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available.
Number of Community Garda by Division on 30/09/2016
|
DIVISION |
TOTAL |
|
DMR South Central |
33 |
|
DMR North Central |
104 |
|
DMR NORTH |
53 |
|
DMR EAST |
30 |
|
DMR SOUTH |
39 |
|
DMR WEST |
58 |
|
Waterford |
44 |
|
Wexford |
8 |
|
Tipperary |
72 |
|
Kilkenny/Carlow |
90 |
|
Cork City |
24 |
|
Cork North |
8 |
|
Cork West |
5 |
|
Kerry |
7 |
|
Limerick |
45 |
|
Donegal |
22 |
|
Cavan/Monaghan |
4 |
|
Sligo/Leitrim |
8 |
|
Louth |
16 |
|
Clare |
6 |
|
Mayo |
3 |
|
Galway |
14 |
|
Roscommon/Longford |
8 |
|
Westmeath |
10 |
|
Meath |
10 |
|
Kildare |
0 |
|
Laois/Offaly |
4 |
|
Wicklow |
15 |
|
Total |
740 |
119. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to deal with the undue delays and backlog in Garda vetting at present, as the waiting period for clearance has lengthened in duration and is causing considerable annoyance and distress for applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37436/16]
View answer120. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to deal with the undue delays and the ever lengthening backlog in Garda vetting for transition year students, third level students and students wishing to go on work placements; if she will explore the delegation of authority for such vetting to district level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37437/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 120 together.
I wish to inform the Deputy that there is no particular delay in the Garda employment vetting process; rather, there has been a very significant improvement in vetting processing times in recent months.
The conducting of Garda vetting is an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner. It is carried out by the Garda National Vetting Bureau in accordance with, inter alia, the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 which sets out the arrangements to provide vetting by the Bureau under the charge of a Chief Bureau Officer and operating a National Vetting Bureau database system.
I am informed by the Garda Authorities that at present, 80 percent of vetting applications are processed by the Garda National Vetting Bureau in under five working days. This represents a dramatic improvement in turnaround times for the processing of vetting applications in recent years, falling from an average of 14 weeks in mid-2013. This improvement has come about as a result of an unprecedented investment by the Government and the Garda Authorities in providing this service, including an increase of over 80 percent in staffing levels and the roll out earlier this year of an e-Vetting system.
In April this year I commenced the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 and in tandem with that, An Garda Síochána launched the e-Vetting system. E-Vetting facilitates the on-line processing of applications and this has significantly streamlined the vetting process and contributed to a sustained reduction in processing times for vetting applications. I am further informed by the Garda Authorities that the vast majority of vetting applications, over 85 percent of applications, now received by the Vetting Bureau are received and processed via the e-Vetting system.
One very important feature of the e-Vetting system is that the individual applicant can track the progress of their own vetting application on-line and can, therefore, see when their application has been processed and returned to the relevant registered organisation.
There are a small number of registered organisations who are not yet operating the e-Vetting system and continue to use the old paper format for applications. For vetting applications that continue to be submitted in paper format, the average turnaround time is in the order of four weeks from the receipt of the application by the Vetting Bureau and this represents a minimum time frame given the administrative input required. The Garda Authorities continue to work with the organisations who are not yet operating the e-Vetting system to encourage and support them to do so.
Processing times for any given application can be longer in individual cases when, for example, additional enquiries may be necessary or where errors have been made in the application. It is important to note that delays can also occur in other aspects of the application process which are outside of the control of the Garda Authorities, for example, in the submission or return of applications by the registered organisations.
The primary purpose of the vetting service is to seek to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. Accordingly, the vetting process demands rigorous procedures to safeguard its integrity and to maintain the highest level of confidence by the public and organisations availing of the service. Any vetting process will take a certain minimum amount of time to complete and, taking into account the importance of protecting children and vulnerable adults while providing an effective and efficient service, the current processing period is not unreasonable.
121. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new gardaí that have been or will be allocated to the Sligo- Leitrim Garda division from the new class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37457/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.
I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that, as on the 31 October 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 293 members of An Garda Síochána assigned to the Sligo Leitrim Division. The Sligo Leitrim Division is supported by 24 members of the Garda Reserve and 25 Civilian Staff. When appropriate, the work of local Gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (formerly the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation) and the Garda National Drugs and Organise Crime Bureau.
This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. In 2017, funding has been provided for the recruitment of 800 Garda recruits and up to 500 civilians to support the wide ranging reform plan in train in An Garda Síochána. Appointments will also be made to the Garda Reserve of approximately 300.
Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 will require some 3,200 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next four years in addition to the 1,200 that will have been recruited by the end of this year since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014. This is an ambitious target and will require a continuous pipeline of suitable candidates. I am pleased to say that the recruitment campaign launched by the Public Appointments Service on behalf of the Commissioner last September, the second campaign this year, again received a strong response. I am also informed by the Garda Commissioner that since the reopening of the Garda College, 679 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána of whom 10 have been assigned to the Sligo/Leitrim Garda Division.
In so far as the allocation of newly attested Gardaí is concerned, this is also a matter for the Garda Commissioner. I am assured by the Commissioner that the needs of all Garda Divisions are fully considered when determining the allocation of resources. However, it is important to keep in mind that newly attested Gardaí have a further 16 months of practical and class-room based training to complete in order to receive their BA in Applied Policing. To ensure that they are properly supported and supervised and have opportunities to gain the breadth of policing experience required, the Commissioner's policy is to allocate them to specially designated training stations which have the required training and development structures and resources in place, including trained Garda tutors and access to a permanently appointed supervisory Sergeant who is thoroughly familiar with their responsibilities under the training programme. The importance of appropriate support and supervision was highlighted in the O’Higgins Report.
122. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the restrictions in place on a person returning here to resume a job, with an unlimited work permit for the person and job specified, who had left the country to care for family who have now passed away; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37462/16]
View answerI am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, first of all that if the person concerned is a non-EEA national, they might require a visa to enter the State, so they should be aware of that.
As the Deputy will appreciate there are a number of variables in the question he raises, so it is not possible to give a precise answer. If the Deputy has a specific person in mind they should advise the person to write to Unit 2, Residence Division, INIS where the details of the person's case will be assessed. A work permit holder would be given a Stamp 1 by INIS and in the normal course of events, a person must be continuously resident in the State to enable them to renew their immigration permission. Continuous residence means living in the State for a period covered by their permission, but allowing for reasonable periods of absence from the State for holidays and exceptional family circumstances. Without the specifics of the case I cannot comment further.
The Deputy may wish to note that 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 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 e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
123. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to claims that gardaí are using third-party applications (details supplied) for Garda communications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37526/16]
View answerThe use of particular means of communication by members of An Garda Síochána in particular circumstances is an operational matter and policy and practice in this regard are for the Garda Commissioner to determine.
I am advised by the Garda Authorities that An Garda Síochána are currently compiling a report for the Policing Authority and myself in relation to email usage and also access to and usage of commercial email services by the organisation.
They expect to be in a position to submit this report shortly.
124. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to fill Garda vacancies at the rank of sergeant and inspector; the number of promotions to the rank of sergeant and inspector that were made in 2015 and to date in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37532/16]
View answerAppointments to the ranks of Sergeant and Inspector are a matter for the Garda Commissioner under section 14 of Garda Síochána Act 2005. I am informed by the Commissioner that in the period 1 January 2015 to 25 November 2016, 275 Garda were promoted to the rank of Garda Sergeant and 102 Sergeants were promoted to the rank of Inspector. These appointments were made in accordance with the statutory framework as set out in the 2005 Act and related regulations. In particular, the appointees were drawn in order of merit from promotion panels formed on foot of competitions held by the Commissioner in accordance with the Garda Síochána (Promotion) Regulations 2006. I understand that these promotion panels are now exhausted and that the Commissioner intends to announce new competitions for promotion to the rank of Garda Sergeant and Inspector shortly.
125. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí per district in the Roscommon-Longford division that have working access to a specific Garda email account in their own name, both in the station and when mobile and out of the station. [37539/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner has responsibility for decisions in relation to the allocation of Garda resources and the distribution of personnel and I, as Minister, have no direct role in these matters.
I have requested the Garda authorities to provide the information requested by the Deputy and will revert to him as soon as I have this to hand.
126. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reports commissioned by her Department since 2006 which, while completed or are in final draft form, have not been published; the reason they have not been published; the expected publication date; the cost to date of each such report; if tenders were invited; if it is not intended to publish any such report, the reason for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37552/16]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that it has not been possible to provide the information required in the time available. The information will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is to hand.
127. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she has considered the latest refugee youth service report number three, from November 2016; and the actions that have been taken as a result of its findings. [37579/16]
View answerThe Report referred to by the Deputy deals with the situation of unaccompanied minors previously located in the Calais camp. The Refugee Youth Service makes a series of recommendations to the responsible French and British authorities. My Department has no responsibility or any oversight role with regard to the matters raised in this Report referencing the French and British authorities.
The Deputy is aware that a number of Government Departments are, however, currently working together to advance the recently approved Dáil motion calling on Government to work with the French authorities to identify unaccompanied minors, previously in the Calais camp, who have expressed a wish to relocate to Ireland and not to go to the UK.
128. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of a person (details supplied); the reason there is such a long delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37599/16]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that it has written to the person in question, who will be aware that all necessary due diligence in this case awaits completion. Once that process has been completed, a further letter will issue.
The Deputy may wish to note that queries in relation to the status of individual 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 should 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.
129. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No.174 of 18 October 2016, the status of an issue (details supplied); the status of its location; the amount it cost; the timeframe for development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37604/16]
View answerThe Office of Public Works has the primary responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation and works closely with the Garda authorities in this regard and I, as Minister, have no role in these matters.
The position remains as outlined in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 174 of 18 October 2016 wherein I indicated that the Office of Public Works is progressing legal matters relating to the acquisition of a site for the proposed new Garda station in Bailieborough. The Deputy will appreciate that, until these matters are complete, it is not possible to provide an exact timeline and details concerning procurement or costing of the new station.
130. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department, or the agencies that report to her Department, entered into any non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements with any organisation due to court action or a threatened court action; and if so, the persons or groups with which these agreements exist. [37632/16]
View answerI am informed that my Department has not entered into an agreement of the type referred to by the Deputy.
131. Deputy John Brassil asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will investigate and allow for stamp 4 permission to be granted to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37644/16]
View answerI am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that an application on behalf of the person mentioned was only received on 08 November, 2016. I understand that this application is currently receiving attention.
The Deputy may wish to note that 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 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 Parliamentary Question 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.
