Written Answers Nos. 88 - 95
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 |
92. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount spent by her Department on renting car park spaces in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23454/17]
View answerIn respect of my Department, office accommodation at Montague Court is rented under lease agreement where 25 car parking spaces are included, and where the individual cost of car parking is not specified in the lease agreement. All other property and associated parking occupied by my department is provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW).
93. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount spent by bodies and agencies under the aegis of her Department on renting car park spaces in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23470/17]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and is currently being collated. I will contact the Deputy directly when this is to hand.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 93 for answer on 17 May 2017 in which you requested the amount spent by bodies and agencies under the aegis of my Department on renting car park spaces in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017.
As you will recall, the information you requested could not be obtained in the time available, and I undertook to contact you again.
As the management of car parking facilities is an operational matter for the individual body in question, and given that there in excess of 25 individual bodies and agencies operating under the aegis of my Department, I have asked the relevant bodies to provide the information sought to you directly as soon as possible.
I hope this is of assistance.
94. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if guidelines exist governing the behaviour of undercover police officers operating within non-violent campaign groups; and if training is given to such undercover officers with regard to their human rights obligations while working undercover within such groups. [23488/17]
View answerThe Deputy will appreciate that neither I nor my Department would be directly involved in arrangements for or the conduct of day-to-day policing activities, including the conduct of intelligence-gathering operations, whether overt or undercover.
The policing powers and duties of members of An Garda Síochána are set out in the Garda Síochána Acts 2005-2015, including that the direction and control of An Garda Síochána are matters for the Garda Commissioner. Members of An Garda Síochána are subject not just to the provisions of the Garda Síochána Acts but to the law generally and also to the Garda codes and regulations in carrying out their duties, including the Code of Ethics published by the Policing Authority in January.
95. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the cost of the establishment of the horse-mounted unit in An Garda Síochána; the annual running costs of this unit; and the number of persons deployed and the purpose of same. [23489/17]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána and, as Minister, I have no direct role in the matter.
I am, however, advised by the Garda Authorities that there are currently 13 horses attached to the Garda Mounted Unit, which is staffed by 1 Sergeant, 13 Gardaí and 2 grooms.
The Unit performs patrols primarily in the Dublin Metropolitan Region on a daily basis but, subject to other operational requirements, can be deployed to facilitate requests from local Garda management and outside agencies nationally. The Unit provides assistance in a variety of policing operations such as crime prevention and detection, operational patrols, backup to other Garda units, ceremonial events and maintaining order at public events.
The total gross expenditure for the Garda Mounted Unit for the years 2002-2016 is outlined in the following table.
|
Year |
Total |
|
2002 |
€116,791 |
|
2003 |
€211,267 |
|
2004 |
€1,240,140 |
|
2005 |
€1,159,613 |
|
2006 |
€1,192,645 |
|
2007 |
€1,153,123 |
|
2008 |
€1,385,033 |
|
2009 |
€1,451,639 |
|
2010 |
€1,144,529 |
|
2011 |
€1,178,183 |
|
2012 |
€1,081,767 |
|
2013 |
€1,139,560 |
|
2014 |
€992,621 |
|
2015 |
€920,351 |
|
2016 |
€1,066,858 |
