Written Answers Nos. 182-201
182. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 1302 of 27 July 2021, if he will provide details on the work plan of the NTF Advisory Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51465/21]
View answerIn late 2020, the NTF Advisory Group agreed a 24 month work plan to examine a range of themes that will ultimately guide upskilling and reskilling priorities for the NTF into the future. During its quarterly meetings over the period, the Group intends to consider a range of issues, including:
- Automation and future world of work
- Funding strategy
- NTF Metrics and evaluation
- Digital and Technology Skills
- SME support
- Low carbon and Green economy
- Regional Skills Development
- Labour market focus
183. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide a breakdown of the expenditure heading Training People for Employment of the National Training Fund for 2021; the full range of course covered; the number of places provided; the average cost per place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51466/21]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
184. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if an update will be provided with regard to engagement with third and higher-level students in relation to consent, harassment and gender-based violence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51596/21]
View answerOur higher education institutions have a responsibility to their students and staff to foster a campus culture that is clear in the condemnation of unwanted and unacceptable behaviours, which act as barriers to their safety and their active participation in college life. Over €400,000 has been provided to our Higher Education Institutions to fund a number of initiatives. In addition, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has allocated over €500,000 towards such areas as consent workshops, the development of the anonymous report and support tool, and the UCC Bystander intervention programme.
As the Deputy is aware, I wrote to the Presidents of the publicly funded higher education institutions, in August 2020 with the objective of strengthen institutional action in this area. Institutions were requested to produce individual action plans on tackling sexual violence and harassment. These action plans were completed earlier this year, and institutions must report annually on their progress in implementing the Framework.
Surveys into staff and student experiences of sexual violence and sexual harassment in our higher education institutions were launched in April 2021. The surveys, which were conducted by the HEA, were sent to all students and staff by their higher education institution, and a report on the surveys will be submitted to the Department shortly.
In addition, Speak Out, an Online Anonymous Reporting Tool for Sexual Harassment and Violence across higher education institutions has been launched this week. This project is led by the Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education in Ireland, with the support of the HEA. Embedding the Framework for Consent into the policies and procedures of HEIs, ensuring their long-lasting impact, is a priority for the Department, as is the ending of sexual violence and harassment. Third level can be a leader in this area and I am determined to ensure there is a zero tolerance approach.
185. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of successful Irish applicants for ERC grant funding for each of the years 2012 to 2021, in tabular form; and the nature of those awards. [51640/21]
View answerThe attached table details the European Research Council (ERC) grant funding information for successful Irish applicants for the years 2012-2020. ERC awards are made under the European Commission's Research & Innovation Framework Programmes.
In total, 127 projects were awarded ERC grant funding from 2012-2020. A total of €196 million was awarded in this time period.
2021 is the commencement year of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme and as such results and related data are not yet available. The ERC Database (erc.europa.eu/projects-figures/project-database) provides significant information on each Irish ERC Project.
The ERC complements other funding activities such as those of our national research funding agencies, and is a flagship component of Horizon Europe - the current framework programme.
The Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation are vital instruments for Ireland’s international research and innovation collaboration. In Horizon 2020, Ireland has so far won €1.18 billion in funding, and Irish researchers and innovators have particularly excelled in Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions and the European Research Council.
Horizon Europe is the ninth iteration of the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. It was officially launched on 2 February 2021. Running from 2021-2027, Horizon Europe is the most ambitious Research and Innovation programme in the world with a budget of €95.5 billion. Building on the achievements of Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe offers a broad range of opportunities for Irish researchers, innovators and Irish companies of all sizes in the pursuit of new discoveries, scientific and technological advancement and innovation.
186. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Justice when the review of Covid-19 prison visits will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51572/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons is a statutory body, independent in its work, set up under the Prisons Act 2007. The Inspector's key role is to carry out regular inspections of prisons. The Office is required to inspect the twelve prisons in Ireland to examine the treatment and conditions of prisoners and staff.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to monitor the situation within prisons for prisoners and staff, the Inspector has suspended her 2021 general inspection programme and has instead embarked on a COVID-19 focused inspection schedule, designed to provide a human rights-based assessment of the response of the Irish Prison Service to the pandemic.
As the Deputy may be aware, on 3 August this year, I published the first 4 COVID - 19 Thematic Inspection reports received from the Inspector of Prisons in relation to Mountjoy, Cloverhill, Wheatfield and Limerick Prisons.
I have also received Covid -19 Thematic Reports relating to Shelton Abbey, Portlaoise, Cork and Arbour Hill prisons. The intention is to bring all four reports to Government in the coming weeks and to publish them shortly thereafter.
187. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 704 and 705 of 29 September 2021, if she will provide an update on the Garda numbers by division (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51339/21]
View answerThe resources provided by government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation of €1.952 billion in 2021 and over €2 billion in 2022. This has enabled sustained, ongoing recruitment.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the general management and administration of the Garda organisation under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This includes the deployment of members of An Garda Síochána throughout the State. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions.
However to be of assistance, I can inform the Deputy that as of 30 September 2021 there are currently 257 members assigned to Ballymun District. This is a 17.8% increase compared to December 2016, when there were 218 members attached to this District.
As of the same date there are 343 members of An Garda Síochána attached to Blanchardstown District. This is a 10.6% increase compared to December 2016, when there were 310 members attached to this District.
This information is based on information provided to me by the Garda authorities and which is available on my Department's website at the following link: http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Workforce.
188. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice if she or any official from her Department has held meetings or conducted correspondence with a company (details supplied) from 1 January 2017 to date; if her Department has engaged the services of the company for any purposes from 1 January 2017 to date; if so, the nature of such services and the costs incurred; if a tender process was conducted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51358/21]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has had no meetings or correspondence with the company in question since 1 January 2017 to date, nor has it engaged the services of the company.
189. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if she will address a series of matters in relation to a prisoner (details supplied) who absconded from Loughlan House Prison, Cavan, on 4 October 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51368/21]
View answerI hope you can appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual prisoner cases.
However, I can assure the Deputy that the return of the prisoner in question to custody is now being actively pursued by the Gardaí and I can advise that the Irish Prison Service has commenced an internal review of the circumstances of his absconding with a view to identifying any improvements to processes and procedures arising from same.
In relation to the how decisions are made about the transfer of a prisoner from a closed to an open prison, the Deputy may find it helpful for me to set out some general information on this.
Prisoners can be transferred to open prisons for sentence management purposes and are considered for transfer to an Open Prison under the Irish Prison Service Open Centre Policy. Approval is granted subject to them meeting certain criteria. The decision to transfer a prisoner is taken after a review of their sentence in order to determine if they are progressing well and engaging in structured activities, for example if they have completed education or training courses. Such recommendations are made by a Multi-Disciplinary Team at a Sentence Management Review Meeting.
In cases where a victim is registered with the Victim Liaison Office in the IPS, they will be notified of any planned transfer of the prisoner to an open prison.
190. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if she will address a series of matters in relation to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51369/21]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that I fully appreciate that this has been a difficult and long wait for the family of Patrick Nugent. I also appreciate their desire to understand the circumstances which led to his death. The Deputy will be aware that an inquiry under section 42 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 was conducted by former Judge Patrick Clyne into the Garda Síochána investigation relating to the death of Mr Nugent in 1984.
The Judge completed his inquiry on 31 October 2020 and my Department received his report on 3 November 2020. The advice of the Attorney General was sought on the matter of publication.
On 8 October 2021 my officials met with the family to discuss the implications of that legal advice. On 14 October 2021, the solicitor for the family was provided with a redacted copy of the report on the basis of the advice of the Attorney General.
191. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice the cost breakdown for each support service currently available to inmates within the Irish Prison Service. [51370/21]
View answer192. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice the number of inmates within the Irish Prison Service who have engaged with support services between 2016 and 2020, in tabular form.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51371/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 191 and 192 together.
I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative supports and services to prisoners. These include education, employment, work training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and chaplaincy services, some of which are intended to provide purposeful activity while in custody and to encourage and equip individuals to lead law-abiding lives on release.
Prisoner services are provided through a blend of different methods of service delivery with some services, such as Psychology, Work and Training; Chaplaincy and Healthcare provided by staff directly employed by the Prison Service. Other services such as Probation Service, Education and Mental Health Services are provided by staff from other statutory organisations.
Services such as drug addiction and resettlement services are provided to the Prison Service by organisations contracted for that purpose.
These services are available to all prisoners in all locations. Due to the varied nature of service delivery the Irish Prison Service does not record centralised data on prisoner who have engaged with one or all of these service providers.
To provide data on the number of inmates who have engaged with these support services between 2016 and 2020, would require a manual examination of a large number of individual prisoner records. Such an examination would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort, which could not be justified where there are other significant demands on resources.
However I am advised that the Prison Service are currently reviewing all of the information they gather in order to improve data analysis and reporting. This restructuring of data will facilitate more timely and accurate provision of structured data and information requests going forward.
The costs associated with the provision of prisoner servicers are published annually in the annual Appropriate Accounts. The costs for the provision of Prisoner Services and Education Services is set out in the table below. The Prison Services category includes expenditure for Medical Care and for Work Training but also includes expenditure for - Prisoner Catering Service; Prisoner Clothing and Toiletries; Prisoner Bedding, Furniture & TV's; Cleaning & Laundry Services and Gratuities.
Table 1
Total expenditure Prisoner Services and Educational Services for the period 2016 to 2020.
|
Source: Vote21 IPS |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Appropriation Accounts |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
|
A.4. Prisoner Services |
27,649 |
27,913 |
29,973 |
28,595 |
34,203 |
|
A.6. Educational Services |
1,065 |
1,083 |
1,227 |
1,389 |
1,424 |
193. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice the funding provided to domestic violence support services in each of the years 2016 to 2020, in tabular form. [51373/21]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is currently being compiled and I will write to him directly when it is available.
|
Organisation |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Adapt (Kerry) |
€22,000 |
€18,400 |
€23,000 |
€23,000 |
€23,000 |
|
Adapt (Limerick) |
€60,000 |
€61,000 |
€61,000 |
€61,000 |
€61,000 |
|
Amen (now Men's Aid) |
€13,340 |
€15,761 |
€19,969 |
€20,000 |
€20,000 |
|
Aoibhneas Women & Children Refuge |
€9,300 |
€9,300 |
€9,300 |
||
|
Ascend |
€10,195 |
€16,450 |
€15,065 |
€14,090 |
€16,500 |
|
Bray Women's Refuge |
€9,000 |
€14,978 |
€15,000 |
€15,000 |
€15,000 |
|
Carlow Women's Aid |
€19,000 |
€25,000 |
€23,000 |
€23,000 |
€23,000 |
|
Clare Haven Services |
€13,000 |
€13,000 |
€13,000 |
€13,000 |
€13,000 |
|
Cope Galway Waterside House |
€4,000 |
€6,500 |
€6,200 |
€6,200 |
€6,200 |
|
Cuan Saor Women's Refuge Ltd. |
€20,700 |
€23,000 |
€23,000 |
€23,000 |
€23,000 |
|
Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (Sligo)(formerly Waves) |
€8,500 |
€11,000 |
€11,000 |
€11,000 |
€11,000 |
|
Domestic Violence Response Galway |
€14,500 |
€15,500 |
€15,000 |
€15,000 |
€15,000 |
|
Donegal Domestic Violence Service |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
|
Drogheda Women's Refuge and Children's Refuge Centre |
€10,000 |
€11,500 |
€11,500 |
€11,500 |
|
|
Dublin 12 Domestic Violence Service |
€7,000 |
||||
|
Esker House |
€10,912 |
€13,000 |
€13,000 |
€13,000 |
|
|
Family Resource Centre |
€2,360 |
||||
|
Greystones Family Resource Centre |
€800 |
€1,000 |
€3,000 |
€3,000 |
€3,000 |
|
Kilkenny Women's Refuge Ltd (Amber) |
€6,500 |
€9,000 |
€10,000 |
€10,000 |
€10,000 |
|
Laois Domestic Abuse Service |
€18,000 |
€22,500 |
€22,500 |
€22,500 |
€22,500 |
|
Longford Women's Link |
€20,000 |
€21,000 |
€21,000 |
€21,000 |
€21,000 |
|
Mayo Women's Support Services |
€9,776 |
€22,000 |
€22,000 |
€22,000 |
|
|
Meath Women's Refuge |
€30,000 |
€34,000 |
€34,000 |
€34,000 |
€43,311 |
|
Mna Feasa Domestic Violence Project |
€25,000 |
€24,141 |
€26,094 |
€25,000 |
€22,000 |
|
Oasis House Women's Refuge Waterford |
€10,000 |
€10,000 |
€10,000 |
€10,000 |
€10,000 |
|
Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service |
€10,000 |
€12,000 |
€12,000 |
€12,000 |
€12,000 |
|
OSS Cork |
€5,000 |
||||
|
Roscommon Safe Link |
€17,000 |
€18,000 |
€20,000 |
€18,000 |
€18,000 |
|
Safe Ireland |
€5,500 |
€20,030 |
€20,000 |
€20,000 |
€78,000 |
|
Saoirse Housing Association |
€15,000 |
€16,000 |
€21,000 |
€21,000 |
€21,000 |
|
Sonas |
€14,000 |
€10,500 |
€13,500 |
€10,800 |
€13,500 |
|
Teach Tearmainn Housing Association Company Ltd. |
€5,000 |
€5,000 |
|||
|
Tearmann Housing Association |
€16,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
|
West Cork Womens Project |
€8,000 |
€8,000 |
€8,000 |
||
|
Westmeath Support Service against Domestic Abuse |
€16,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
€17,000 |
|
Wexford Women's Refuge |
€8,000 |
€9,442 |
€21,000 |
€16,000 |
€16,000 |
|
Women's Aid Dublin |
€94,000 |
€100,000 |
€100,000 |
€114,500 |
€177,517 |
|
Women's Aid Dundalk |
€16,500 |
€17,500 |
€17,500 |
€17,500 |
€17,500 |
|
YANA |
€771 |
€2,732 |
€3,000 |
||
|
Total |
€560,311 |
€661,544 |
€686,360 |
€702,390 |
€794,028 |
194. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if funding has been provided for the establishment of regional cybercrime hubs. [51374/21]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that the prevention and investigation of cybercrime is a priority for the Government and for An Garda Síochána. Budget 2022 provides over €2 billion in funding to An Garda Síochána. Since 2016 the budget for An Garda Síochána has increased by approximately €500m, or 33%. These funds are providing for continued investment in the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau, with ongoing expansion of the Bureau between this year and next, including the recruitment of 20 civilian expert posts at engineer grade.
As the Deputy will be aware, the allocation of funding for specific Garda projects is a matter for the Garda Commissioner, who under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, is responsible for the management and administration of the Garda organisation.
I understand that the roll out of the regional cybercrime units is ongoing and to date funding has been provided for four Regional Cybercrime Hubs established in Wexford, Mullingar, Cork and Galway.
I am informed by the Garda Authorities that the expansion of the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) is a priority project under the A Policing Service for our Future programme. The aim of this project is to significantly enhance the capacity and capabilities of GNCCB to tackle cybercrime in this jurisdiction, including the establishment of six GNCCB Cyber Satellite hubs strategically located throughout the country. To date, funding has been provided which has led to the commencement of operations at four GNCCB Cyber Satellite Hubs. Planning is currently underway for the establishment of two additional GNCCB Cyber Satellite hubs.
195. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice when she will publish her Department’s implementation plan to reform the civil justice system following recommendations of the civil justice report. [51375/21]
View answerThe Report of the Review of the Administration of Civil Justice, chaired by the former President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, contains 95 specific recommendations to make the civil justice system more efficient and easier for people to access.
These recommendations include: measures to reduce the costs and time involved in legal proceedings; amendments to primary and secondary legislation; changes to court practice; improved physical infrastructure and Information Management and Technology facilities; and new administrative arrangements.
Implementation will require a phased, co-ordinated approach and an implementation group, comprising representatives of the main statutory organisations with a role in implementing the recommendations, has been established to monitor and support their progress.
Given the breadth and complexity of the recommendations, an Implementation Plan has been developed which identifies seven work streams aligned to the main themes from the Kelly Review, and sets out the timelines for implementation over the next three years. I expect to publish the Plan very soon.
196. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice the exact structure and funding provided to the new community safety partnerships; and the way in which funding is allocated to this project from the Community Safety Innovation Fund. [51376/21]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, three Local Community Safety Partnerships are currently being piloted over 24 months in North Inner City Dublin, Waterford and Longford. These locations allow the proposed structure to be trialled in a high population density area, a medium population density area and a low population density area, with a regional distribution. The pilots are subject to independent evaluation, with learning outcomes taken into account in the drafting of the statutory framework for community safety and applied to the national roll out of similar partnerships in communities across the country.
Membership of these Local Community Safety Partnerships includes representatives from relevant public services including the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána, local authorities and councillors as well as residents and community groups, representatives of youth, new communities and the voluntary, business and education sectors.
The pilots are each chaired by an independent chairperson and each pilot is also supported by a dedicated staff member - the local community safety coordinator - whose role is to support the Partnership, engage the residents in the community on safety issues and link them in with the work of the Partnership.
Each of the pilots will receive funding for the provision of administrative support to undertake the work of the pilots. The Dublin pilot will receive funding of €345,000 over 24 months in partnership between my Department, NEIC and Dublin City Council. The Waterford and Longford Pilots will receive funding through Dormant Accounts Funding of €245,000 each for 24 months.
Each Local Community Safety Partnership will develop a Local Community Safety Plan which will identify actions and the Department or Agency with responsibility for fulfilling these actions. Support to implement these actions will come from existing budget allocations.
Local Community Safety Partnerships may also apply for funding for additional community safety interventions through the new Community Safety Innovation Fund, the establishment of which is provided for in Budget 2022. It is intended that this fund will support investment in projects which will improve community safety. The fund, which is expected to grow in the coming years, will have an initial outlay in 2022 of €2m.
A call for funding proposals will issue seeking applications for community safety projects and similar initiatives from bodies involved in community safety, such as the new Local Community Safety Partnerships and the Drogheda Implementation Board, as well as similar entities nationwide.
Applications will be assessed against stated criteria outlined in the call for proposals to ensure funding is allocated to encourage the development of innovative ways in which to improve community safety from those people who understand local community safety needs best. These criteria for allocating funding are currently under consideration and will be announced in due course.
The approach we are taking will ensure that the best proposals to improve community safety will get the funding they need and will encourage the development of innovative ways in which to improve community safety from those people who understand local community safety needs best. It will also allow best practice on community safety to be shared with other partnerships around the country as new proposals get developed.
197. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if a breakdown will be provided by category of 999 calls cancelled per year since 2018, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51378/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, I consider any inappropriate cancellation of 999 calls a very serious matter. This falls significantly below the high standards that the public expect from the Gardaí and the high standards that An Garda Síochána set for themselves. I am particularly concerned that anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or indeed anyone in a vulnerable position, who summoned the courage to seek assistance may not have received it.
The Policing Authority was asked by Minister McEntee to oversee the review being carried by An Garda Síochána in relation to this matter, and there have been a number of engagements between the Authority and An Garda Síochána since March of this year.
I share the Authority and the Commissioner's concern about the continuation of what appear to be inappropriate cancellation and classification of calls since the introduction of the new procedures. These circumstances will of course be considered by the Authority as part of their continuing oversight of the Garda review of this matter, and will be taken into account in the work being carried out by an external policing expert who has been appointed to assist the Authority in this task. I await the outcome of the Authority's work in this regard and will of course make available any relevant statistics which emerge from this process.
198. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of eligibility for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); when it is expected to finalise the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51523/21]
View answerThis application for a certificate of naturalisation continues to be processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision in due course.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
199. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current and expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51528/21]
View answerThe person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 1G Graduate permission, which has been extended until 15 January 2022, under the final automatic extension of immigration permissions I announced on 15 September 2021.
A Stamp 1G indicates that a person has permission to look for employment in the State under the Third Level Graduate Programme. The Stamp 1G is granted for 12 months to ensure that such students are making genuine efforts to access suitable graduate level employment, for example attending job interviews or signing up with graduate employment agencies. However, due to the impact of Covid-19, I recognise that some people may not have been able to find graduate level employment before their Stamp 1G permission is due to expire. Therefore, to assist such people, my Department is considering any applications for an extension of Stamp 1G immigration permission on a case by case basis.
Applicants may apply by attending at their local Immigration Office, or if residing in the Dublin area, they can apply online via inisonline.jahs.ie/user/login.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, 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 Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
200. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice the number of visa applications, citizenship applications and domestic residence permission applications that have been processed to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51546/21]
View answer201. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice the number of citizenship applications and visa applications that were submitted in 2020; the number processed to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51547/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 201 together.
My Department continued to accept and process immigration and citizenship applications throughout the pandemic. As the Deputy will appreciate, the figures for 2020 and to date in 2021, reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the demand for and processing of applications.
The processing timeline for standard applications has unfortunately increased due to the disruption to normal business as all staff were adhering to the necessary health and safety related restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19.
The tables below set out the information requested by the Deputy.
|
Application Type |
Applications processed in 2021 |
|
Visa |
30971 (including 829 withdrawals) |
|
Citizenship |
6,987 |
|
Domestic Residence |
5,577 |
|
Application Type |
Applications received in 2020 |
Applications processed in 2020 |
|
Visa |
43,871 |
48,661 (including 4,000 withdrawals) |
|
Citizenship |
10,354 |
5,481 (919 of which were received in 2020) |
It should be noted that applications processed in a calendar year will include applications received in a previous year.
