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Wednesday, 17 Nov 2021

Written Answers Nos. 180-193

Citizenship Applications

Questions (180)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

Question:

180. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Justice the status of a citizenship application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56449/21]

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Written answers

The application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy is currently being 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 as expeditiously as possible.

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.

In addition, the combined impact of the 2019 High Court judgment in the Jones case and the necessary health restrictions arising from the pandemic, has resulted in the processing time for standard applications increasing.

However, my Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times.

This year, we are on track to deliver approximately 11,000 decisions, significantly exceeding the levels achieved in the last two years. Additional staff have also been assigned to the citizenship team. Based on these measures, my Department's objective is to achieve an improved timeframe of 6-9 months for decisions on a majority of applications during 2022.

Visa Applications

Questions (181)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

181. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Justice if her officials have been in touch with a person (details supplied) in regard to their visa request lodged with the visa office at the Embassy of Ireland in Warsaw, Poland. [56464/21]

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Written answers

The visa application referred to by the Deputy was created online on 22 September 2021 and the supporting documentation was received by the embassy in Warsaw on 29 October 2021.

The person referred to was previously advised by my Department that, if they have not already done so, they should contact the Visa Office and advise them of the urgent nature of their visit and submit any documentation in support of this. Full consideration will be given to any information received on behalf of the applicant. The applicant may contact the Visa Office directly, quoting their visa application number, at: visamail@justice.ie. The applicant will be notified in writing as soon as a decision has been made.

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 (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 Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (182)

Gary Gannon

Question:

182. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice when she will publish the Office of Inspector of Prisons Covid-19 thematic inspection reports on Shelton Abbey Prison, Portlaoise Prison, Cork Prison and Arbour Hill Prison; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56551/21]

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Written answers

As 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, Minister Hildegarde Naughton 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 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 shortly and to publish them thereafter.

Immigration Status

Questions (183)

Gary Gannon

Question:

183. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the reason for the delay a person (details supplied) has experienced in renewing a GNIB card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56553/21]

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Written answers

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the person concerned has obtained a first-time registration appointment via the Registration Appointment Booking System. They should attend as scheduled and present their passport and other required documents to facilitate their registration. Further details are available on my Department's Irish Immigration website at:

www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-register-your-immigration-permission-for-the-first-time/requirements-and-documents-needed/ .

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, 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 Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Immigration Policy

Questions (184, 185, 186, 187, 188)

Gary Gannon

Question:

184. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the number of foreign nationals refused leave to land at Irish ports of entry since January 2021. [56555/21]

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Gary Gannon

Question:

185. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the breakdown of nationalities among those who were refused leave to land since January 2021. [56556/21]

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Gary Gannon

Question:

186. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the number of foreign nationals refused leave to land who were referred on to the Irish Prison Service for detention until a flight was arranged. [56557/21]

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Gary Gannon

Question:

187. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the status of the immigration facilities at Transaer House; and if plans launched in 2017 to open a dedicated immigration unit at the Dublin Airport Garda station are still in train. [56558/21]

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Gary Gannon

Question:

188. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the plans in place for accommodating foreign nationals refused leave to land; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56559/21]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 184, 185, 186, 187 and 188 together.

Under Section 4 of the Immigration Act 2004, an Immigration Officer must determine whether a non-EEA national should be granted leave to land and thus gain entry to the State.

The Border Management Unit of my Department has responsibility for frontline immigration at Dublin Airport only. Other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).

A total of 2,333 people were refused leave to land at Dublin Airport between 1 January and 14 November of this year. This represents 0.08% of total arrivals during this time. A breakdown by nationality for those refused leave to land is set out in the table below.

Breakdown of Nationalities

Nationality

Number of Refusals

Eritrean

491

Syrian

345

Somali

200

Afghan

156

Kuwaiti

115

Brazilian

114

Zimbabwean

90

Albanian

74

Yemeni

74

Palestinian

73

Botswana

68

Iraqi

66

South African

64

Iranian

59

American

32

Sudanese

29

Algerian

25

Nigerian

25

Salvadoran

16

Pakistani

15

Georgian

15

Ethiopian

13

Congolese (DRC)

11

Dominican

11

Others*

152

Total

2,333

*This figure relates to nationalities where the total number was 10 or less and no further breakdown is provided to protect the possible identification of these individuals.

If a person indicates or is identified as being in need of international protection they are admitted to the international protection process. However, they will still be recorded as a refusal of leave to land.

Arrangements for the removal of persons refused permission to enter the State are essentially operational matters for the GNIB who work closely with civilian immigration officers on these matters. Detention of a person refused entry to the State is only undertaken as a last resort. There is a statutory obligation to return a person refused entry permission as soon as is practicable. Non-custodial measures, such as a requirement to report to a Garda Síochána station or a requirement to reside in a specified place, are widely used as alternatives to detention.

Section 5 of the Immigration Act, 2003 (as amended by the International protection Act, 2015), contains the main provisions dealing with the removal from the State of persons refused permission to enter. It specifies that a person to whom this section applies may be arrested by an immigration officer or a member of the Garda Síochána and detained in a prescribed place of detention for the purpose of facilitating their removal from the State, which must be as soon as is practicable. It also provides that a person may be detained for a period not exceeding 12 hours at the airport or port from which the person is due to depart.

Work has been completed on a new Block F in Cloverhill remand prison which is intended to be used to accommodate people detained for immigration purposes and ensure they can be housed separately from people on remand. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic required significant measures within the Irish Prison Service (IPS) to manage and control infection risk, and it was necessary to re-purpose Block F as an isolation unit for those prisoners who have, or are suspected of having, the virus. It is intended that when the pandemic is over, Block F will revert to its original intended use, subject to the availability of staff and the impact on resources. While this will address the situation in the immediate term, work is also proceeding on the consideration of a longer-term sustainable and compliant solution as part of my Justice Plan 2021. However, the Deputy will appreciate that there are complex issues arising and a detailed assessment of the feasibility of the various options is required and work is ongoing in that regard.

The former Transaer building at Dublin airport has been refitted and now contains the new Dublin Airport Garda station and additional office facilities occupied by the GNIB. I understand that the GNIB took up residence in the office facility during July 2019 and the local Gardaí moved into the new Garda Station during December 2019. The Garda station contains four one person cells and two additional detention rooms. While the building works have completed, the cells have not been fully commissioned at this time and outstanding matters are being addressed by the authorities. It is intended that the GNIB will detain persons refused leave to land, overnight at the Dublin Airport Garda station when the detention facilities are fully commissioned.

Question No. 185 answered with Question No. 184.
Question No. 186 answered with Question No. 184.
Question No. 187 answered with Question No. 184.
Question No. 188 answered with Question No. 184.

Disability Services

Questions (189)

Noel Grealish

Question:

189. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that there is no ongoing risk to service users in all disability day and residential units following the revelations in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56461/21]

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Written answers

In the context of correspondence with the HSE on a National Independent Review Panel report, the Brandon Report, the HSE has advised me that there is no ongoing risk to service users and that there is a commitment to the implementation of the specific recommendations arising from the report. This is in addition to making substantial changes to the wider Disability services in the area concerned and nationally in line with National Policy.

The Board has also advised that it is focused on ensuring that all of the recommendations of the report are promptly and appropriately actioned by the HSE. Actions are being taken to seek assurances requested by me and will be reported to me once concluded.

The government is committed to ensuring that the report leads to learning, with ensuing meaningful and tangible change. We must ensure there cannot be such serious safeguarding failures in other settings.

To strengthen the health and social care sector’s wider adult safeguarding framework, the Department of Health is currently developing a national policy on adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector, which includes disability services. This national sectoral policy will be in place in all private, voluntary and public health and social care settings and services and will be underpinned by any legislation that may be required.

We all share a common desire to have the best possible policies and services for people with disabilities. All adults have the right to be safe and to live a life free from abuse regardless of their circumstances. It is the responsibility of all service providers, statutory and non-statutory, to ensure that, service users are treated with respect and dignity, have their welfare promoted and receive support in an environment in which every effort is made to promote welfare and to prevent abuse.

Health Service Executive

Questions (190)

Noel Grealish

Question:

190. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health the amount of public funds allocated from the 2020 HSE Service Plan to facilities (details supplied). [56462/21]

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Written answers

As the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Disability Services

Questions (191)

Neasa Hourigan

Question:

191. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the main initiatives undertaken by his Department since 27 June 2020 to improve access to therapeutic and multidisciplinary services for young children with Down syndrome; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56193/21]

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Written answers

On assuming Ministerial responsibility for Disabilities in the summer of 2020, one of the issues I immediately sought to remedy was the number of overdue Assessments of Need for children across the country. At the end of June 2020, this backlog, for a number of reasons, had risen to approximately 6,500.By working with Minister Donnelly, I secured Sláintecare funding of €7.8 million to address this issue. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that by the end of September, the HSE has reduced the waiting list backlog from that original figure of 6,500 to just over 500 cases. This is a reduction of just over 90%.

In addition, is the unprecedented level of additional resources which has gone into strengthening children's therapy services. In 2021, 185 additional development posts have been allocated to children’s disability services across the country, broken down as follows:

- 100 posts in 2021

- 85 posts for services in special schools approved mid 2021This follows on from an additional 100 posts added to children's teams in 2019.

In conclusion, I’m also pleased to inform the Deputy that further investment in children's therapy services is planned in 2022, in this regard, which I will announce as part of the HSE’s National Service Plan, in due course.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (192)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

192. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) is waiting so long on surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56197/21]

View answer

Written answers

Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Staff

Questions (193)

Brian Leddin

Question:

193. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Health if he plans to fund a clinical psychologist for the multidisciplinary diabetes team in University Hospital Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56199/21]

View answer

Written answers

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

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