Thursday, 12 Jul 2018

Visa Applications

Questions (253)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

253. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of a visa application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32260/18]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that a visa application from the person referred to was submitted to the Visa Office in New Delhi on 8 May 2018 and will now be processed in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification.

The Policy Document contains a stated business target that visa applications to join non-EEA national family members should be dealt with within twelve months of receipt of application. However, it should be noted that this is a business target and does not constitute a legal obligation. The business target reflects the detailed and often complex assessment that is required to be carried out in relation to applications for family reunification.

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.

Citizenship Applications

Questions (254)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

254. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure to be followed in the case of a person (details supplied); if same can be arranged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32276/18]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I have been informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned was refused a residence card on 13 July 2015 as they were not in compliance with the provisions of the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015. However, as an exceptional measure, the applicant was afforded permission to reside in this State for a period of one year. This permission expired on 12 July 2016.

The person in question also applied for citizenship in this State on 21 June 2016. However, they were deemed not to be eligible on 21 December 2016 as they did not submit the documentation that had been requested in the context of this application.

In the circumstances the person concerned should make contact with the EU Treaty Rights Section of INIS in order to identify which immigration permission is most appropriate for their personal circumstances.

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 Strength

Questions (255, 256, 260, 261)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

255. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of core unit gardaí attached to the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by division, district, and sub-district in tabular form. [32317/18]

View answer

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

256. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí attached to the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018 by rank, division, district and sub-district in tabular form. [32318/18]

View answer

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

260. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the full complement of gardaí in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by district and sub-district. [32322/18]

View answer

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

261. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of civilian staff attached to the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by division, district and sub-district in tabular form. [32323/18]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 255, 256, 260 and 261 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of personnel 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 Commissioner that on 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the strength of the Cork City Division was 678. There are also 42 Garda Reserves and 71 civilians attached to the Division. When appropriate, the work of local Gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Armed Support Units, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised 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 to deter crime. To achieve this the Government has put in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. We are making real, tangible progress on achieving this goal.

I am informed by the Commissioner that since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, almost 2,000 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide, of whom 53 members have been assigned to the Cork City Division. Garda numbers, taking account of retirements, increased to 13,551 at the end of 2017 – a net increase of over 600 since the end of 2016.

I am pleased that funding is in place to maintain this high level of investment in the Garda workforce to ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track. This year a further 800 new Garda Recruits will enter the Garda College; some 400 of whom have already done so. In total, 800 Garda trainees are scheduled to attest during the year, 400 of whom have attested to date. Further, Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, are on track to reach 14,000 by the end of 2018.

Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 by 2021 will require some 1,600 more Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next two years. This is an ambitious programme of accelerated recruitment. To ensure a continuous pipeline of candidates the Public Appointment Service on behalf of the Commissioner ran a new recruitment drive last month.

In addition to the investment in more Gardaí, a further 500 civilians will also be recruited to fill critical skills gaps across the organisation and to facilitate the redeployment of Gardaí from administrative and technical duties to front-line operational duties. There are plans to strengthen the Garda Reserve with new Reserves expected to commence training in 2018.

This focus on investment in personnel is critical. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí. Undoubtedly, the ongoing recruitment process will support all Garda activities and enhance visibility within our communities and will enable the Commissioner to provide additional resources across every Garda Division, including the Cork City Division, as new Garda recruits continue to come on stream.

For the Deputy’s information I have set out in tabular form the number of Gardaí assigned to the Cork City Division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and on the 31 May 2018, and the number of civilian staff assigned to the Cork City Division in each of the years 2010 to 2017 and on the 31 May 2018 the latest date for which figures are currently available as supplied by the Garda Commissioner.

Garda Civilian Staff by Division 2010-2018

Station	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	May-18
Cork City	63	63	63	61	61	58	58	70	71

*The civilian figure is only recorded from 2010

Gardaí assigned to the Cork City Division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and on the 31 May 2018 are contained in the link below.

Tables

Garda Transport Data

Questions (257)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

257. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number and type of Garda vehicles attached to the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by division, district and sub district in tabular form. [32319/18]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

There has been very significant investment in Garda resources across the State in recent years. The Government's Capital Plan 2016 – 2021 provides €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet, to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet. This is in addition to the investment of almost €30 million in the period 2013 to 2015. Indeed in the period 2013 to the end of 2017 almost €44 million has been invested in the fleet with some 2,000 vehicles coming on stream in that period to ensure that Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime.

As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions in relation to the provision and allocation of Garda vehicles across the various Garda divisions are a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the light of his identified operational demands and the availability of resources. As Minister, I have no role in that matter.

I understand that Garda management keeps the 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. The responsibility for the efficient deployment of all official Garda vehicles in each Division is assigned to the Divisional Officer, who may allocate vehicles between districts and stations as required by operational requirements.

The tables below set out information in relation to the Garda vehicles attached to the Cork City Division. I am advised by An Garda Síochána, that for operational reasons, this information is provided at Division and District level only.

Vehicles in Cork City Division by District 2009-2018

(at 31 December unless otherwise stated)

District	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018 (10 July)
Anglesea St.	80	77	80	60	73	89	89	101	96	89
Gurranabraher	12	11	10	11	9	10	10	13	14	12
Mayfield	16	19	17	18	16	16	14	15	18	17
Togher	16	16	15	14	12	13	15	16	12	15
Cork City Division Total	124	123	122	103	110	128	128	145	140	133

An Garda Síochána has indicated that information for breakdown of vehicle type for the years 2009-2016 by district level is not to hand and would take considerable time and resources to collate.

Figures for 2017 and 2018 (as at 10 July) are available by district and vehicle type, as set out in the following table.

Vehicles in Cork City Division by District and Vehicle Type 2017-2018

Year	District	Cars	Vans	Motorcycles	4 X 4	Other	Total
2017	Anglesea St	67	15	7	3	4	96
	Gurranabraher	12	1	0	0	1	14
	Mayfield	10	3	1	0	4	18
	Togher	11	1	0	0	0	12
	Cork City Division 2017 Total	100	20	8	3	9	140
2018	Anglesea St	60	15	7	3	4	89
	Gurranabraher	10	1	0	0	1	12
	Mayfield	9	3	1	0	4	17
	Togher	14	1	0	0	0	15
	Cork City Division 2018 Total	93	20	8	3	9	133

Garda Operations

Questions (258, 259)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

258. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the weekly opening hours of each Garda station (details supplied) on the northside of Cork city in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018. [32320/18]

View answer

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

259. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the weekly opening hours of each Garda station (details supplied) on the southside of Cork city in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018. [32321/18]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 258 and 259 together.

The Deputy will appreciate that it is the Garda Commissioner who is primarily responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána including the effective and efficient use of the resources available to An Garda Síochána, including the opening hours of stations. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I have asked the Garda Commissioner for the specific information requested and when it is to hand I will inform the Deputy accordingly.

Questions Nos. 260 and 261 answered with Question No. 255.

Garda Deployment

Questions (262)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

262. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda juvenile liaison officers, JLOs, attached to the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by division, district and sub-district in tabular form. [32324/18]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

As 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 advised by the Commissioner that Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers (JLOs) are specially trained to fulfil a key role in implementing the Garda Diversion Programme. Their role includes the administration of formal and informal cautions as well as appropriate supervision of children who have been admitted to the Diversion Programme, as provided in Part 4 of the Children Act 2001.

I am informed by the Commissioner that the information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in the format requested, as JLOs are assigned on a Garda Divisional basis.

For the Deputy's information I have set out in the table the number of Gardaí who were assigned to JLO duties in the Cork City Division from 31 December 2009 up to 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are available.

Juvenile Liaison Officers Cork City Division 2009-2018

Year	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018*
Amount	7	6	8	7	7	7	7	7	10	7

Garda Youth Diversion Projects

Questions (263)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

263. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda youth diversion projects in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and the areas in which they are located. [32325/18]

View answer

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (Deputy David Stanton)

Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) in the Cork City Garda Division

The following GYDPs were in operation from 2009-to date

County	Project	Area	No. of Projects
CORK	BAP	BALLINCOLLIG	1
	KNOCKNAHEENY	KNOCKNAHEENY	1
	MAY	MAHON	1
	TACT	TOGHER	1
	DOUGLAS	DOUGLAS	1
	FAYRE	FARRANREE	1
	GAP	THE GLEN	1

Heron GYDP has been in operation from 2015-to date

County	Project	Area	No. of Projects
Cork	HERON	CARRIGALINE	1

Garda Deployment

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 to 266, inclusive, No. 274, No. 279 and Nos. 281 to 286, inclusive together.

As 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.

For the Deputy's information I have set out in the table the strength of the national specialist units which form Garda Special Crime Operations as of the 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are available, as received from the Garda authorities. These are national units which support the work of the 28 Garda Divisions across the Country, including the Cork City Division, as appropriate. Consequently the information requested by the Deputy is not available in the format requested.

I am informed by the Commissioner that the Special Detective Unit (SDU) is responsible for the investigation of threats to the state security and the monitoring of persons who pose a threat to the security of the State on both national and international fronts. The Unit also provides security for visiting VIPs, cash in transit movements and armed response and is the operational wing of the Witness Security Programme. The highly trained and equipped specialist intervention unit, the Emergency Response Unit, is also part of SDU.

I am advised by the Commissioner that for security and operational reasons the strength of the SDU, ERU and the Regional Support Units cannot be provided.

Strength of Garda Special Crime Operations 31 May 2018

	CR	DC	AC	CS	SU	IN	SG	GD	TOTAL
Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau	0	0	0	1	3	2	20	88	114
Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	17	23
Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (formerly Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation)	0	0	0	1	2	2	16	47	68
Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation	0	0	0	1	3	0	15	62	81
Garda National Protective Services Bureau	0	0	0	0	3	2	17	41	63
Garda National Technical Bureau	0	0	0	0	1	2	16	49	68
Criminal Assets Bureau	0	0	0	1	1	0	9	31	42

Garda Deployment

Questions (267, 277)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

267. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the operational support unit in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32329/18]

View answer

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

277. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the operational support services, in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32339/18]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 267 and 277 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who 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 have requested the information sought from the Garda Commissioner and I will write to the Deputy on receipt of same.

The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.

Garda Deployment

Questions (268)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

268. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the traffic corps unit, in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date, in tabular form. [32330/18]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice and Equality

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources and the Minister for Justice and Equality has no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps the 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 advised by the Garda Commissioner that the strength of Roads Policing Units on the 31 May 2018, stood at 680, of whom 37 members were allocated to the Cork City Division. In addition, there is one Chief Superintendent and two Superintendents attached to the DMR Roads Policing Units, a Superintendent and Traffic Inspector attached to each of the other five Regions. It is important to note, that road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of all members of An Garda Síochána, as well as through specific enforcement operations.

The Commissioner established the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau (GNRPB) to ensure a consistent approach to road safety and enforcement of road traffic legislation across the country. This is achieved through coordination of enforcement and development of policy based on research and analysis of statistics and by engaging in campaigns in partnership with other State Agencies. I am pleased to say that I obtained sanction for an additional Assistant Commissioner to head up the GNRPB who is responsible for the oversight and strategic management of the policing of our roads network. In order to support this very important work and to facilitate the restructuring of the Garda Traffic Corps to Roads Policing Units in line with the Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016 – 2021, I have also recently secured sanction for a Chief Superintendent in the area of Roads Planning and Major Event Management and the creation of two specialist posts in the GNRPB at Superintendent rank one for Roads Policing and one for Major Event Management.

I am informed by the Commissioner that following an internal examination of the role and function of the Divisional Garda Traffic Corps, they have been re-named Garda Road Policing Units, to reflect the role the Units will play in denying criminals the use of the roads network. In addition to the Roads Policing Units focusing on the life-saver offences of speeding, seat belts, mobile phones and driving under the influence, they will also focus on crime prevention and crime detection. Divisional Roads Policing units will work closely with other Divisional units to target known criminals and to disrupt their activities through strict enforcement of road traffic legislation.

I am advised by the Commissioner that following the completion of regional competitions for assignment to roads policing duties an additional 87 Gardaí have been assigned to Roads Policing Units nationwide, in the first quarter of this year. It is planned that a further 63 Gardaí will be assigned to the units later this year to bring the total additional Gardaí assigned to Roads Policing in 2018 to 150 to support better outcomes in relation to road traffic enforcement and crime prevention.

The 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 to deter crime. Budget 2018 supports the continuation of this high level of investment in the Garda workforce and ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track.

The provision of these additional resources to the Commissioner is a key component in this Government's approach to improving public safety throughout the country which will undoubtedly benefit policing in relation to transport services in Dublin and in other areas. In this regard I have no plans to engage with the Commissioner to progress a dedicated public transport unit within An Garda Síochána. Investment is instead being made in enhancing the resources available for policing generally. I believe this is the best use of scarce resources.

A further consideration is the ongoing deliberations of the Commission on the Future of Policing. Its terms of reference include consideration of the structures and management arrangements required for the most effective delivery of policing to meet the challenges of modern policing. I look forward to receiving its report in September.

For the Deputy’s information I have set out in tabular form the number of Gardaí by Rank attached to the Cork City Division Traffic Corps in each of the years 2009 – 2017 and to 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are currently available.

Strength of the Cork City Division Traffic Corps 2009- 2018
Year	Insp	Sergeant	Garda	Total
2009	1	7	43	51
2010	1	8	39	48
2011	1	7	41	49
2012	1	6	38	45
2013	1	5	34	40
2014	1	5	32	38
2015	1	4	31	36
2016	1	5	33	39
2017	1	4	32	37
2018*	1	4	32	37

*Up to 31 May 2018