Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 May 2017
88. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 16 of 30 March 2017, the number of new staff hires who are engaged in the provision of services in the area of international protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23382/17]
View answer89. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 16 of 30 March 2017, the position or title of each of the new 15 staff; the date that each of the new staff members' contracts began; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23383/17]
View answer90. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 16 of 30 March 2017, if she has conducted her own inquiries and is satisfied that the extra funding given to the Legal Aid Board in December 2016 for international protection clients was used solely for positions relating to international protection staff commencing after the funds were provided and was used for new and additional positions and not for the replacement of pre-existing positions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23384/17]
View answer91. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 16 of 30 March 2017, the oversight or auditing in place to ensure that funds provided to the Legal Aid Board for services to international protection applicants is ring-fenced and used only for that purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23385/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 88 to 91, inclusive, together.
As I previously informed the Deputy I am informed by the Legal Aid Board that three of the board's law centres - Smithfield, Dublin 7; Seville House, Galway; and Popes Quay in Cork - are directly involved in protection cases and a number of additional staff have been assigned to those offices. Another office, the Refugee Documentation Centre, provides information services to all of the bodies involved in international protection cases. I am informed by the Legal Aid Board that the number of additional staff recruited to date and engaged in the provision of services in the area of International Protection is 13. As I stated in my response to the Deputy's Question of 30 March 2017, individual staff members can be involved in both international protection and other civil legal aid work. Some newly-recruited staff engaged in the provision of services in the area of international protection commenced employment during 2016; I understand that these staff were assigned in preparation for the commencement of the single application procedure. The Board continues to monitor staffing needs, capacity, and demand for services so that it can recruit and place staff, if necessary, where they will be most effective.
As previously stated, while the Board has staff that are specifically assigned to the area of international protection, it also provides legal services in relation to a range of important civil issues including, for example, legal services to parents whose children may be subject to care orders. While the Board is developing specialisation in its staff, it is also wishes to ensure flexibility in order to address areas of particular priority at a point in time. For that reason, some new staff engaged in the provision of services in the international protection area also have a wider civil element to their role.
The Board is committed to giving early legal advice to persons seeking international protection and to ensuring that those persons see a solicitor prior to their interview with the International Protection Office. I am further informed that the Board is currently finalising its model of service delivery and clarifying expectations regarding staff output, performance and value for money. When this process is finalised any further requirement will be considered but the Board is satisfied that the current demand for services is being met and there is no backlog of applicants waiting for international protection services. As is usual in such circumstances, the situation is being kept under active review. Finally, I can assure the Deputy that the Legal Aid Board is subject to a range of statutory and governance obligations including the 2016 Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.
Details of the 13 staff members are set out in the following table.
|
Grade |
Start Date |
|
Legal Clerk |
04/01/2016 |
|
Legal Clerk |
11/01/2016 |
|
CO |
18/01/2016 |
|
Solicitor |
28/06/2016 |
|
CO |
04/07/2016 |
|
EO |
19/09/2016 |
|
EO |
01/11/2016 |
|
CO |
02/01/2017 |
|
HEO |
13/01/2017 |
|
Legal Clerk |
23/01/2017 |
|
CO |
30/01/2017 |
|
CO |
06/02/2017 |
|
CO |
06/02/2017 |
