Wednesday, 9 Mar 2022

Immigration Status

Questions (168)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

168. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current and expected residency status in the case of persons (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13292/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice

The person referred to by the Deputy is the subject of a Deportation Order made on 16 October 2019. Representations were received on behalf of the person concerned requesting that the Deportation Order be revoked, pursuant to the provisions of section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended). All relevant aspects of the case will be considered before a decision is made.

The decision to issue following the consideration of this request will be to have the existing Deportation Order either ‘affirmed’ or ‘revoked’. Once a decision has been made, it will be notified in writing. In the meantime, the Deportation Order remains valid and in place.

An application for a Irish Citizen Child (ICCA) was received from the person concerned on 30 September 2021.

To be fair to all applicants, applications are dealt with in chronological order. My Department endeavours to process all applications as quickly as possible. However, processing times may vary due to a number of factors, such as the number of applications on hands, individual circumstances, the complexity of applications, whether further information is required, and the resources available.

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, 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.

Official Engagements

Questions (169)

Pa Daly

Question:

169. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice if she will report on her meeting with European Union counterparts in relation to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. [13297/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice

The Deputy will be aware that I attended an extraordinary meeting of Interior/Home Affairs Ministers on 27 February 2022, which was called to discuss the escalating situation in Ukraine.

The main focus of that meeting was on the activation of Council Directive 2001/55/EC (Temporary Protection Directive) to grant temporary protection to the mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine. It was agreed that a proposal for a Council Decision to activate the measure would be added to the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council scheduled to take place on 3 and 4 March 2022.

At the JHA Council, Home Affairs Ministers unanimously approved the decision to activate the Temporary Protection Directive with the measure subsequently being adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council on 4 March, and coming into force on that date. As part of the wider discussions, Ministers communicated via videoconference with the Minister of Interior of Ukraine and the Vice Minister.

Ireland participates in this EU measure, which has been given legal effect under Section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015.

Those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine will be eligible for this temporary protection, initially for one year and on a renewable basis. It will provide beneficiaries with immediate access to the labour market, along with access to social welfare, accommodation and other State supports.

A whole-of-Government response is being mobilised to implement the practical arrangements to give effect to these commitments.

Beneficiaries will be provided with their permission letter on arrival in the State to ensure early access to all necessary supports. My Department is working urgently to put a system in place to issue them for people arriving into Dublin Airport, and arrangements will be put in place as soon as possible to provide letters to those who arrived in recent days.

Arrangements for the registration of the permission and the collection of the information necessary for same will follow. As this is a crisis situation, the normal registration procedures for long term residents in Ireland will not apply. All necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the process is as simple and stress-free as possible.

Official Engagements

Questions (170)

Pa Daly

Question:

170. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice if she will engage with her Northern Ireland Executive colleagues and the UK government in relation to the challenges the Border poses to Ukrainian refugees looking to unite with family members north and south. [13299/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice

On 25 February, I announced the immediate lifting of visa requirements between Ukraine and Ireland.

This has streamlined and supported the swift exit of both the Ukrainian family members of Irish citizens, and the family members of people from Ukraine who are resident in Ireland. It applies as an emergency measure to all Ukrainians travelling to Ireland and is a humanitarian response to the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine.

In addition, the EU Temporary Protection Directive has now been activated in response to the Ukraine crisis. Ireland participates in this measure, which has been given legal effect under Section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015.

Those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine will generally be eligible for this temporary protection, initially for one year and on a renewable basis. It will provide beneficiaries with immediate access to the labour market, along with access to social welfare, accommodation and other State supports.

A whole-of-Government response is being mobilised to implement the practical arrangements to give effect to these commitments.

Beneficiaries will be provided with their permission letter on arrival in the State to ensure early access to all necessary supports. My Department has put in place a system to issue them for people arriving into Dublin Airport from today, and arrangements will be put in place as soon as possible to provide letters to those who arrived in recent days.

Arrangements for the registration of the permission and the collection of the information necessary for same will follow. All necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the process is as simple and stress-free as possible.

My Government colleagues and I will also continue to work with our EU counterparts on any further EU-wide measures that might be needed to assist those fleeing Ukraine. The Council Decision to activate the Directive was adopted on 4 March (EU 2022/382).

The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot comment on the arrangements for Ukrainian nationals seeking to avail of residency or international protection in other jurisdictions, including the UK and Northern Ireland. Immigration arrangements for those seeking permission to reside in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Northern Ireland and UK authorities. However, there is regular ongoing engagement between Irish and UK authorities on all immigration related matters.

Visa Applications

Questions (171)

Pádraig O'Sullivan

Question:

171. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice when a decision will be made on a visa application for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13340/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I can confirm that the application for the person referred to by the Deputy was approved on 2 March 2022. The Domestic Residence and Permissions Division of my Department has written to the person concerned.

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.

Citizenship Applications

Questions (172)

Robert Troy

Question:

172. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice if a person (details supplied) will be eligible to apply for full citizenship; the length of time that a citizenship application is currently taking to process; and if online ceremonies are still taking place. [13444/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Justice

The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act. A determination on whether an applicant satisfies the statutory criteria attendant to naturalisation can only be made after an application is received and, therefore, it is not possible to state if the person referred to by the Deputy, is eligible to make an application.

It is open to any individual to lodge an application for citizenship if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory conditions as prescribed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended and pay the appropriate fees.

Detailed information on Irish citizenship and the naturalisation process, along with the relevant application forms and guidance notes, is available on my Department's Irish Immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/.

Last year, the average time from receipt of application to issue of a decision was 23 months.

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.

Last year, my Department made 11,512 citizenship decisions, which is the highest level since 2015. 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.

Traditionally, citizenship applicants are required to attend an in-person citizenship ceremony to take an oath of fidelity to the State and complete the process to receive their certificate of naturalisation. Due to the pandemic, it has not been possible to hold such ceremonies since March 2020.

In January 2021, a temporary system was established to enable citizenship applicants to complete their naturalisation process by signing a statutory declaration of loyalty to the state. This has temporarily replaced the requirement for citizenship applicants to attend citizenship ceremonies.

Subject to public health guidelines, my Department intends to host an in-person citizenship ceremony on 20 June 2022 and further ceremonies on 5 and 6 December 2022 in Killarney.

Disability Services

Questions (173)

Michael McNamara

Question:

173. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the additional staffing resources that are being provided to the Children’s Disability Network Team in County Clare for the purpose of reducing waiting lists in County Clare; the measures that will be taken to further improve service delivery in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13142/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

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

Health Services

Questions (174)

Michael McNamara

Question:

174. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health when the new chronic disease management hub will become fully operational in County Clare; the location, functions and staffing details of the hub; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13143/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

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

Abortion Services

Questions (175)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

175. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if the 103 adverse incidents reported to the State Claims Agency in relation to the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 will be discussed as part of the ongoing three-year review of the Act. [13146/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was signed into law on 20 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. Under section 7 of the Act, a review of the operation of the Act must be initiated within three years of the commencement of the Act, i.e., before January 2022.

As I stated previously, the review will comprise a three-part approach to appraise the operation of the Act, with strands focusing on service users, service providers and a public consultation. Independent research commissioned to inform the service user and service provider strands will form key elements of the review.

Research to inform the service user strand is being carried out by Dr Catherine Conlon, Associate Professor, Trinity College, who is progressing a large qualitive study to analyse unplanned pregnancy and abortion care. The study, which was commissioned by the HSE’s Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme in September 2019, will generate an in-depth understanding of the experiences of women who have accessed abortion care services since the commencement of the Act.

Independent research is also being commissioned on service providers’ views on the operation of the legislation. The tender application process for this research closed in January 2022.

As the Deputy may be aware, I have appointed Ms. Marie O’Shea B.L. as the independent Chair to lead the second phase of the review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. The independent Chair will assess the extent to which the objectives of the Act have been achieved, analysing in that regard the findings of the three strands of research to consider the effectiveness and operation of the Act. The Chair may also consult with stakeholders to gather additional information on the operation of the legislation and draw on the findings of other relevant peer-reviewed research to inform her report.

Abortion Services

Questions (176)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

176. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if the latest announcement from the UK Government that it will soon end telemedicine abortion will inform Irish public policy on this issue in view of the HSE acknowledgement that it relies upon literature from the UK to inform the policy of telemedicine abortion. [13150/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

As part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to protect public health and limit the spread of Covid-19, the Department of Health and the HSE worked together in 2020 to put arrangements in place to allow termination of pregnancy services in early pregnancy to be provided remotely.

For the duration of the Covid-19 public health emergency, where the need for social distancing, reducing personal contacts and reducing the burden on medical practitioners are paramount, it became possible for a woman to access a termination under section 12 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (i.e., before 12 weeks) from her medical practitioner by telephone or video conference consultation.

There is ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to monitor service provision, facilitate the smooth-running of the service and resolve any issues that may arise. However, as restrictions are beginning to ease, the Department is currently reviewing whether remote consultation as part of a blended approach to termination of pregnancy care should be continued post the COVID-19 public health emergency period. A decision is expected in the coming weeks. It is important to reflect that COVID-19 is still with us and Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance on Managing Risk of Transmission of Respiratory Viruses including COVID-19, continues to advise, amongst other things, to limit footfall in General Practice settings and support telephone consultations where care that meets the needs of the patient can be delivered - this helps to eliminate the risk of transmission of viral infection.

Disability Services

Questions (177)

David Cullinane

Question:

177. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of children under children’s disability network teams in circumstances in which the child or their family has not been assigned a key contact broken down by CHO and the length of time waiting for a key contact to be assigned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13154/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

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

Health Services Staff

Questions (178)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

178. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health the number of occupational therapists that are currently actively working in County Wexford providing services to children; his plans to increase this number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13161/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

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

Health Services Staff

Questions (179)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

179. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health the number of speech and language therapists that are currently actively working in County Wexford providing services to children; his plans to increase this number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13163/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

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

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (180)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

180. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if the front-line health workers once-off payment will be paid to section 39 workers (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13164/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

Firstly I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.

The Government announced a COVID-19 recognition payment for frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. The payment of €1,000 will not be subject to income tax, USC, or PRSI. The measure will be ring fenced to staff ordinarily onsite in COVID-19 exposed healthcare environments within the period between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2021. Those public sector frontline healthcare workers eligible for the payment will be directly employed public health sector staff working in clinical settings. A pro-rata arrangement will apply for eligible part time staff / equivalents and supernumerary students who were required to perform training in clinical sites.

The Department of Health will also introduce a measure for making a similar payment to staff in private sector nursing homes and hospices (eg: nursing homes and hospices that are private, public, section 39, voluntary etc.) that were affected by Covid-19. Arrangements for this sector encompassed by this measure are currently being progressed by the Department of Health. As the HSE is not the employer in these instances, the arrangements including payment dates will require further analysis before finalising but it is envisaged that payments will be instructed for these workers in Q2 2022. It is important for the Deputy to note that eligibility is subject to a number of factors and not solely based on individual healthcare employers / organizations.

Hospital Admissions

Questions (181)

Verona Murphy

Question:

181. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of patients referred to and admitted to units (details supplied) since 2018; the number of patients deemed by the consultant child psychiatrists as not suitable for admission to these units; the waiting time for those ultimately admitted to these units; the locations in which they waited for admission, that is, home, paediatric hospitals and other locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13170/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

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

Health Services

Questions (182)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

182. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health his plans to clear the waiting list for access to speech and language and occupational therapy for children in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13171/22]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

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

Primary Care Centres

As I stated during my appearance before the Joint Committee on Health on 8 December, it was my intention to appoint an independent Chair to lead the second phase of the review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018.

As the costs involved in contracting an independent Chair to conduct the review were estimated as exceeding €25,000, the advice I received was that the Department was obliged under procurement rules to tender for the appointment.

Given the expertise required for the position, a small number of candidates, identified as having suitable experience, were contacted and invited to tender for the role of independent Chair. This is in line with European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. No meeting with the appointed Chair took place prior to the selection process, nor were there recommendations made by any organisation.