Skip to main content
Normal View

Wednesday, 30 Mar 2022

Written Answers Nos. 104-123

Apprenticeship Programmes

Questions (104)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

104. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of consortia-led and craft apprentices currently waiting to access off-the-job training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17109/22]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy is aware the waiting list for craft apprenticeship training results from the adverse impact of Covid public health restrictions on the operation of the education and training sector.

In responding to these restrictions it has been a priority to seek to facilitate, whenever possible, access to onsite teaching and learning for essential skills-based activities such as apprenticeship.

A detailed and comprehensive emergency plan to tackle the apprentice waiting lists has been underway across further and higher education since August 2021 when some training facilities started to reopen. At that point 11,859 apprentices were delayed in their training.

Since then, a €20m additional capital investment has provided a large increase in workshops and equipment in every training location in the country. A further €17m was provided under Budget 2022 to further facilitate SOLAS and the HEA’s response, including a significant recruitment campaign to increase the number of trainers.

More than 8,400 apprentices, or over 70% of those who were delayed in their training by Covid-19, have now progressed in their off-the-job phases. This includes over 700 final year apprentices who have been fast-tracked to complete their qualification. There has been an increase of over 50% in the number of training places available, via additional workshops and 100+ additional staff.

The number of craft apprentices waiting as of this week 28/03/2022 was 8,134.

My Department are not aware of any consortia-led apprentices waiting to access off the job training outside of normal scheduling.

My Department, SOLAS, and other apprenticeship partners are continuing to work actively on further measures to ensure that waiting times are resolved as speedily as possible, enabling apprentices to progress through their apprenticeship as quickly as is feasible.

Apprenticeship Programmes

Questions (105)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

105. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider abolishing the apprenticeship fee for phase 4 and 6 to help ease the cost of leaving crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17110/22]

View answer

Written answers

Where an apprentice pays an Annual Student Contribution (ASC), the amount of ASC charged is calculated on a pro rata basis, determined by the time which they spend in the institution during any given academic year. In cases where training is delivered in an Education and Training Board education centre, there is no contribution required from the apprentice.

The ASC applies to all learners attending a higher education institution.

For craft apprenticeships, the ASC charged is typically one third of the €3,000 ASC paid by students attending the higher education institution for the full academic year and so amounts to approximately €1,000 per apprentice per period spent in the Institute of Technology or Technological University.

In the case of consortia-led apprenticeships, the contribution varies for each programme. This reflects the arrangements on those programmes whereby off-the-job training has a more flexible structure, ranging from periods of block release to one day per week or remote learning options.

Regarding the recent increases in the cost of living, the Deputy should note that craft apprentices are eligible for certain allowances during their off-the-job training.

All apprentices are primarily employees and as such, eligible apprentices are also entitled to access general employment supports such as the Working Family Payment and other relevant schemes.

Student Visas

Questions (106)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

106. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Justice the number of education providers in Ireland that recruit non-EEA students listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes that have been found to not adhere to the requirement for education providers to operate an escrow type account with a bank or financial institution regulated by the Central Bank; the monitoring that is in place; the penalties for not adhering to the requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16888/22]

View answer

Written answers

In order for a non-EEA student to register for a stamp 2 permission they must enrol and commence a course of study from the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP). The ILEP lists almost 7,800 programmes with more than 140 suppliers. The ILEP was developed as part of a series of reforms to the student immigration system for international education. This was in response to concerning practices within certain parts of the sector and a number of college closures. It was introduced as a more restrictive list of education programmes eligible for student immigration purposes. Programme providers must now meet certain standards and requirements in order to have their programmes included on the ILEP and be accredited by recognised Irish awarding bodies.

Providers listed on the ILEP must operate a delayed payment account or separate client visa/escrow account with a financial body regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for handling advance fee payments from students applying for a visa to come to Ireland to study a programme on the ILEP. The funds must remain in this account until the student’s visa application is determined. A strict refund policy also applies. If the visa application is refused, the funds, less any pre-indicated handling charge, must be returned to the student within 20 working days of the decision being received by the provider.

The requirement to operate a separate client visa account does not apply to the designated awarding bodies, the institutes of technology and other bodies that have been granted the statutory power to make awards under Irish law. As part of this requirement, statements /reconciliation reports in relation to this account must be maintained. The statements /reconciliation reports must be available for review at the time of inspection or when requested by my Department. Failure to comply with this criterion may result in a provider being removed from the ILEP.

My Department monitors activities and conducts inspections to determine ongoing compliance with all ILEP criteria and requirements. Inspections, including unannounced inspections, form part of ongoing monitoring activities to ensure compliance with ILEP requirements and immigration regulations.

It was necessary to halt inspections during the pandemic due to the public health restrictions. However, monitoring activities still continued, involving routine or specific requests for records and information relating to compliance with requirements and sector-wide surveys.

The client visa account is one of the many requirements reviewed during an inspection. Where a provider is not complying with criteria or requirements, the provider and their programme details will be removed from the ILEP within 5 working days unless a successful appeal is lodged. Where a provider is unable to satisfactorily demonstrate its compliance with elements of the criteria, it will be moved to a provisional listing. To be reinstated to a full listing, the provider must demonstrate within a set timeframe that significant improvements have been made to rectify the concern, or be removed from the ILEP.

No providers have been removed from the ILEP on the basis of non-compliance with the requirement to operate a delayed payment account or separate client visa/escrow account with a financial body regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Students are advised to do their research first before paying any money and to only contact the education provider directly.

Antisocial Behaviour

Questions (107)

Peter Burke

Question:

107. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Justice the measures that are in place to tackle underage drinking in towns and cities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16749/22]

View answer

Written answers

I have requested information from An Garda Síochána in order to respond to the Deputy's query, however, the information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy again once the information is received from the Garda Authorities.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 107 of 30 March 2022 where you asked: ‘The measures that are in place to tackle underage drinking in towns and cities.’
As you will recall, I sought the information you requested from the Garda authorities and undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand.
As you will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. As Minister, I have no direct role in operational Garda matters.
The Garda Authorities have informed me that there are a number of measures in place to tackle underage drinking in towns and cities. These include the use of legislative powers, crime prevention measures, education and the Garda Youth Diversion Programme .
Legislation provides An Garda Síochána with powers to address public order and anti-social behaviour related to the misuse of alcohol by persons under the age of 18 years, and includes:
- Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994
- Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2003
- Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003
- Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008
- Children Act 2001
Additionally, Part 13 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 introduced provisions within the criminal law for dealing with anti-social behaviour by children who are between 12-18 years of age and are designed to allow the Gardaí to deal effectively with anti-social behaviour while keeping the child out of the criminal justice system.
These powers allow the Gardaí to deal with anti-social behaviour by issuing an anti-social behaviour warning to children; convening meetings to discuss a child’s anti-social behaviour; requesting a child and his/her parents or guardian to enter into a Good Behaviour Contract; and applying to the courts for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) in respect of a child.
Other preventative measures include the use of CCTV, which is designed to help prevent and detect crime and anti-social behaviour; and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).
CPTED is a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behaviour through environmental design in order to deter criminal activity; and is an approach to problem solving that asks what it is about this location that places people at risk, or that results in opportunities for crime.
I am advised that CPTED training has been rolled out to Crime Prevention Officers throughout the country. Their liaison with stakeholders in towns and cities throughout the country has led to a reduction in incidents of anti-social behaviour through joint approach interventions involving environmental landscape changes.
The Garda Schools Programme is a partnership programme between An Garda Síochána and the Department of Education is an important tool for engagement between An Garda Síochána and children/young people in the area of crime prevention and personal safety which is delivered by trained Gardaí across the country.
In 2021, as a result of extensive work developed by the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau working in partnership with the Department of Education and Webwise, the new Garda Schools Programme was developed. The new content of the Programme provides lessons on several topics specifically targeted towards reducing anti-social behaviour and substance abuse.
The Garda Youth Diversion Bureau is responsible for the administration of the Diversion Programme under Part 4 of the Children Act 2001 and the Bureau determines the suitability of a child to be referred for admission to the Programme.
Referrals relating to underage drinking are categorised under the offence types – Public Order Offences and Liquor Licensing. All incidents involving a child under 18 years must be reported to the Garda Youth Diversion Bureau.
You may wish to be aware that official referral figures for drunkenness offences for 2020 were 581, a decrease from 773 in 2019 and that referrals under the category Liquor Licensing for 2020 were 73, a decrease from 123 in 2019. Therefore it is considered that the overall referral trend for children under 18 years in these categories is downwards.
In addition to the above, you may also wish to be aware that Operation Irene commences in the Dublin Metropolitan Region on 1 June, 2022 and continues until 31 August, 2022. The aim of this operation is to combat under-age alcohol consumption and the consumption of alcohol in public places in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, in a targeted operation through the enforcement of legislation regulating the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol and other associated legislation.
I hope that this information is of assistance.

Victim Support Services

Questions (108)

Seán Canney

Question:

108. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice if she will ring-fence a portion of moneys confiscated by the Criminal Assets Bureau to help victims of crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16901/22]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware, Budget 2022 provides for the establishment of the new Community Safety Innovation Fund, which will enable local communities to seek funding for innovative projects which will improve community safety in their areas.

This fund will reflect the success of the Criminal Assets Bureau and other agencies by using money seized from the proceeds of crime to support investment in community safety projects. The fund, which is expected to grow in the coming years, will have an initial outlay of €2m.

Justice Plan 2022 commits to opening a call for funding proposals. This call will issue shortly seeking applications for community safety projects and similar initiatives from bodies involved in community safety, such as the new Local Community Safety Partnerships – pilots of which are in place in North Inner City Dublin, Waterford and Longford – 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.

I intend to announce the criteria for allocating funding, with the fund due to be launched in the coming weeks.

Departmental Data

Questions (109)

Seán Canney

Question:

109. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice the number of house and farm burglaries carried out in each county in each of the past five years; the number of convictions for these crimes in the same years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16902/22]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware, the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics. The CSO produces these statistics using data recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE system and makes regular releases under reservation in relation to various crime statistics. The CSO also continues to work with An Garda Síochána to address quality issues in the underlying sources used to compile the statistics.

I can inform the Deputy that the specific breakdown requested is not available as a burglary of a house on a farm would be recorded as location type ‘house’ rather than ‘farm’ in order to meet the legal definition of a burglary. The table at the link details the number of burglaries by Garda Division for the period in question.

Burglaries by Garda Division

Regarding the number of convictions, the breakdown sought by the Deputy is not available as the system codes used by the Courts Service are based on those used by An Garda Síochána. The document at the link, furnished to me by the Courts Service, details the number of offences and the number of persons where convictions have been recorded by District Area.

Burgulary Convictions

Furthermore, it is worth noting, when considering the attached figures, that the Court Service can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors. Prosecutors may have used uncoded free text offences and any such offences would not be included in the data provided.

Finally, the Deputy may be aware that on 29 March 2022, the CSO published crime statistics for Q4 of 2021 which are available publicly at the link below.

www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-rc/recordedcrimeq42021/

An Garda Síochána

Questions (110, 120)

Seán Canney

Question:

110. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí in the country in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16903/22]

View answer

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

120. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the number and grade of gardaí by Garda division and county, in tabular form. [17092/22]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 120 together.

The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2022 of over €2 billion. This includes funding for the recruitment of up to an additional 800 Garda members and up to 400 Garda staff. It should be noted that many of the Garda members to be recruited will be drawn from the recent Garda recruitment competition which closed on 16 March. I note the strong interest in this campaign, with over 10,000 applications received.

Additionally, over 800 Garda members have also been redeployed in recent years from administrative duties to frontline policing roles where their expertise can be utilised fully.

As the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes decisions on the distribution of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use. Therefore, the full complement of resources fluctuates at any given time and where a deficiency in resources is identified the matter is considered fully and addressed accordingly.

I understand that it is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to them, having regard to the profile of each area within the Division and its specific needs.

In the interest of transparency, the information sought by the Deputy is made publicly available by both An Garda Síochána and my Department. Detailed information in relation to Garda numbers is available on my Department’s website and this information is updated every month with the latest data provided by An Garda Síochána, and includes the number of Gardaí by station across the whole country.

The information can be found at the following link:

www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures

Departmental Schemes

Questions (111)

Seán Canney

Question:

111. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice if she is satisfied with the level of support her Department is providing to the community alert scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16904/22]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has for many years provided funding for the employment and associated costs of the national Community Alert Programme, including the employment of regional Development Officers. These Development Officers provide support to Community and Text Alert schemes and offer advice on how to establish new schemes. My Department paid a total of €231,352, which includes the salaries for these Development Officers as well as administration costs and other sundries, for that purpose during 2021.

Additionally, in 2021, a total of €188,562.81 was paid to community text alert groups under the 2020 rebate scheme administered by Muintir na Tire and funded by my Department.

This is a continuation of the annual funding made available by the Department for the Text Alert Rebate scheme each year since 2016.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (112)

Seán Canney

Question:

112. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí trained in Templemore in each of the past five years; the number of gardaí allocated to each county in the same years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16905/22]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware, under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I am pleased to note that since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, a total of 3,851 Garda members have been assigned to Garda Divisions throughout the country. For the Deputy's information the table below, which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of probationer Gardaí who were assigned to Garda Divisions from 2018 up to 11 March 2022.

Divisions

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Total

D.M.R. EAST

30

26

14

4

10

84

D.M.R. NORTH

77

55

42

6

15

195

D.M.R. NORTH CENTRAL

73

38

23

7

20

161

D.M.R. SOUTH

56

54

24

4

12

150

D.M.R. SOUTH CENTRAL

61

75

23

5

17

181

D.M.R. WEST

81

61

32

7

24

205

CAVAN / MONAGHAN

35

45

11

4

3

98

CLARE

15

0

6

3

2

26

CORK CITY

23

15

27

9

8

82

CORK NORTH

13

11

17

6

8

55

CORK WEST

11

0

7

6

0

24

DONEGAL

26

43

15

5

2

91

GALWAY

16

14

13

7

5

55

KERRY

14

0

14

6

0

34

KILDARE

30

17

23

7

13

90

KILKENNY/CARLOW

12

8

23

4

6

53

LAOIS / OFFALY

22

5

21

8

10

66

LIMERICK

34

12

31

7

9

93

LOUTH

32

42

21

5

10

110

MAYO

0

0

10

5

1

16

MEATH

19

19

25

3

11

77

ROSCOMMON / LONGFORD

3

5

12

3

1

24

SLIGO / LEITRIM

6

13

15

6

0

40

TIPPERARY

13

8

25

8

8

62

WATERFORD

36

21

16

4

8

85

WESTMEATH

4

0

9

4

1

18

WEXFORD

26

9

13

4

5

57

WICKLOW

21

9

10

1

5

46

REMAINING IN COLLEGE (STATION TO BE NOTIFIED)

1

1

Total

789

605

522

148

215

2,279

The Deputy may wish to be aware that the allocation of Probationer Gardaí by Division and station from 2015 up to 11 March 2022 is published on my Department's Website and can be accessed using the following link:

www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Probationer_Gardaí

Additionally, over 800 Garda members have also been redeployed in recent years from administrative duties to frontline policing roles where their expertise can be utilised fully.

Budget 2022 has provided an unprecedented allocation of in excess of €2 billion to An Garda Síochána, which includes funding for the recruitment of up to an additional 800 Gardaí and a further 400 Garda staff, subject to the public health situation. This significant investment demonstrates the Government's commitment to increasing the Garda workforce to enable the organisation to keep our communities safe.

Legal Aid

Questions (113, 116)

Patrick Costello

Question:

113. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if she will establish a legal aid body which specialises in employment law, recognising the critical need for this service given that in 2020 it was the most queried legal area by the general public with the Free Legal Aid Service. [16917/22]

View answer

Patrick Costello

Question:

116. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if she will address the gap in the provision of legal aid in which currently there is no right to legal aid if a person has proceedings before a tribunal. [16921/22]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 116 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, my Justice Plan 2022, which I published on Monday, 28 March 2022, contains a commitment to progress the review of the Civil Legal Aid Scheme this year.

My Department is currently working to finalise the mode and terms of reference of the review.

It is intended that there will be significant stakeholder consultation to inform the review, which will have to consider how best to support those who require, but cannot afford, legal advice. The review is expected to consider eligibility for civil legal aid, the issues for which legal aid should be available, and what should be prioritised for support given the limitations on resources. The review may also contain a research element which could, among other things, identify international approaches to supporting people with legal assistance needs.

Since the Civil Legal Aid Scheme was established over 40 years ago, Irish society has changed and the demands on the Scheme have grown. In order to provide maximum benefit to those it was established to serve, within the finite resources available to fund legal aid, a robust, comprehensive review of the Scheme is now timely.

Ultimately the review should map out a future for the Civil Legal Aid Scheme; one which will provide for a flexible service that has, as far as possible, the capacity and resources to respond to the priority legal assistance needs of those of insufficient means.

Dependent on finalisation of the approach and confirmation of membership, it is envisaged that the Review Group will commence its work early this year.

Section 27(2) of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 provides that the Legal Aid Board can only provide legal representation at certain inquests, in the civil courts, or in Tribunals prescribed by me with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The only tribunal currently so prescribed is the International Protection Appeals Tribunal. It should be noted that this provision only applies to legal aid, i.e. representation by a lawyer in court/at the Tribunal. It does not preclude the Legal Aid Board from giving legal advice in relation to a matter which might be heard by a tribunal.

That being the case, while the Legal Aid Board does not provide representation in relation to internal disciplinary or external workplace relations hearings, it does provide advice and assistance in relation to employment matters. The Board can also, subject to the means and merits criteria, provide legal aid in statutory appeals from tribunals to the court. For example, a statutory appeal from the Workplace Relations Commission to the Circuit Court in an equality matter can be granted legal aid subject to the criteria being satisfied.

Court Procedures

Questions (114)

Patrick Costello

Question:

114. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if she will transition justice system terminology to a more modern English equivalent which would replace Latin terminology and phrases such as ad litem, thus aiding greater comprehension by the general public. [16919/22]

View answer

Written answers

The Report of the Review of the Administration of Civil Justice, published in 2020, made a number of recommendations regarding reform of our civil justice system. These include recommendations relating to simplification of procedures and language.

In relation to civil procedure and forms, the Review Group’s recommendations include the introduction of a new standard form of claim notice to replace other originating documents and harmonising across jurisdictions the forms of originating documents, terminology and information requirements associated with the way in which proceedings are commenced.

The Review Group also made a recommendation regarding the establishment of a group comprising justice-sector agencies, the legal profession and voluntary and publicly-funded advice bodies to provide input to the court rules committees on opportunities for simplification of procedures and language in rules and forms. The Courts Service agreed to take this recommendation forward through its Access to Justice Civil Reform User Group.

Through this Group, which officials in my Department participate on, and the extensive stakeholder engagement undertaken by the Courts Service as part of its modernisation efforts, the Courts Service is best placed to identify opportunities to engage with rules committees regarding opportunities for simplification of procedure and language.

This is underpinned by the Courts Service’s Long-Term Strategic Vision for 2030, and its Modernisation Programme which adopts a User-Centric Approach, seeking to ensure a better understanding of the needs of those who interact with the courts system and the Courts Service. The Courts Service’s commitments in this area include working to simplify court practices and procedures and designing its services based on the needs of those who use them.

It should also be borne in mind that much of the terminology used in the Courts derives from legislation developed over time and deriving from EU requirements and from Bills sponsored by various Ministers and Private Members, and so, efforts to replace outmoded Latin terminology with modern Irish or English terminology will require engagement by all relevant stakeholders.

Courts Service

Questions (115)

Patrick Costello

Question:

115. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if she will establish in the area of environmental law a specialist planning and environmental law court; and if, given the time-sensitive nature of such cases, she will make a duty judge available on a 24/7 basis to hear applications for interlocutory injunctions in environmental matters such as exists in other jurisdictions such as New South Wales. [16920/22]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy may be aware, both the Programme for Government and the Government's Housing for All Strategy commit to the establishment of a new division of the High Court dealing with planning and environmental issues.

Programme for Government specifies that the new law court will be managed by specialist judges and established on the same basis as the existing commercial court model. Housing for All set a timeline for the establishment of the new Court by the end of 2022.

Officials in my Department are working with the Courts Service and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in advancing the commitment and have put in place an implementation group to progress this matter. The resourcing of the new court, along with its scope, how it will operate and the steps involved in its establishment are among the issues currently being examined by the group.

Question No. 116 answered with Question No. 113.

Legal Aid

Questions (117)

Patrick Costello

Question:

117. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide specific funding to FLAC to expand its Traveller legal service which currently only has one solicitor, recognising the need to fund Traveller-specific reports given their over-representation in the IPS. [16922/22]

View answer

Written answers

The Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC) receives a contribution from my Department towards the information, advice and advocacy work carried out by FLAC through its telephone information referral line and part-time legal advice centres throughout Ireland. The below table outlines the amount of core funding provided to FLAC for the last three years.

2020

2021

2022

€98,000

€294,000

€294,000

I am unaware of any proposal by FLAC to expand its Traveller legal service. Responsibility for policy matters for Traveller and Roma transferred to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in October 2020 when the equality and inclusion brief was transferred.

International Protection

Questions (118)

Patrick Costello

Question:

118. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if she will reform the current legal process relating to cases concerning international protection, moving to a model of early legal intervention as proposed by an organisation (details supplied). [16923/22]

View answer

Written answers

Legal advice and representation, where required, for people in the international protection process in Ireland is provided by the independent Legal Aid Board.

Specific law centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway with solicitors employed by the Board currently include an international protection speciality. The Board operates a mixed model of service delivery to persons seeking international protection in the State. The model involves both the use of in-house staff, including solicitor staff, working in law centres, and the referral of cases to private solicitors on a panel.

Following the enactment of the International Protection Act 2015, and the introduction of the single application procedure, the Board established and maintains a panel of solicitors who are willing to provide services to persons who have been granted legal services by the Board. The panel of solicitors provides advice and/or representation in relation to an application under the 2015 Act for asylum, subsidiary protection and permission to remain; and for all relevant matters covered by the 2015 Act, the Refugee Act 1996 and the Immigration Act 1999.

Since the commencement of the 2015 Act, the Board has committed to providing all of its international protection clients with early legal advice on all aspects of their application. The provision of the Board’s service is consequently front-loaded to the first instance stage of the international protection application (pre-questionnaire and interview).

The Board informs me that international protection clients receive a full information consultation before completing their questionnaire, wherein the key elements of refugee law are set out, their own obligations as applicants are outlined, and the requirements of the questionnaire are explained in full.

Clients are provided with a further consultation pre-interview in which legal advice on the particulars of their claim based on their completed questionnaire is given and submissions are drafted and made to the International Protection Office of my Department.

If required, legal representation may also be provided in relation to an appeal to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal of a recommendation that a person should not be granted asylum or subsidiary protection in the State.

Where necessary, the Board provides for the services of interpreters for the conduct of consultations and the provision of advice and the translation of certain documents.

The Legal Aid Board is included in the work being undertaken by my Department to identify how processing and general supports to applicants in the international protection process can be further enhanced. They will be engaging with my Department to guide future funding considerations as set out in the White Paper to End Direct Provision and to establish a new International Protection Support Service.

Funding of €47.197m has been allocated to the Legal Aid Board for 2022, an increase of 7.5% on the 2021 allocation of €44.575m. This will enable the Board to recruit additional staff and meet other costs to enhance the delivery of all of its services across the country.

Citizenship Applications

Questions (119)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

119. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if her Department is in receipt of an application for residency status and citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17045/22]

View answer

Written answers

The person referred by the Deputy to is the subject of a Deportation Order, which they can make an application under section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), to have their Deportation Order revoked.

To be successful, any request would need to be founded on new information or changed circumstances which were not put forward or were not capable of being put forward when the decision to make a Deportation Order was taken. The outcome of the request will be that the existing Deportation Order will either be ‘affirmed’ or ‘revoked’.

The person can also contact the Repatriation Division of my Department directly at:

arrangements@justice.ie

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.

Question No. 120 answered with Question No. 110.

Health Services

Questions (121)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

121. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 786 of 15 February 2022, his plans to restore respite provision in Galway city and county to pre-Covid levels; the expected timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16726/22]

View answer

Written answers

As this question relates to a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly.

National Maternity Hospital

Questions (122, 133)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

122. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 784 of 15 February 2022, the status of plans for the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16727/22]

View answer

John Lahart

Question:

133. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health if he will provide updated plans for the new National Maternity Hospital at St. Vincent's University Hospital. [16807/22]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 133 together.

The Government is committed to the development of the new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) planned for the St Vincent’s University Hospital Campus at Elm Park, as set out in the Programme for Government. The Government is also aware of the concerns that have been raised regarding ownership and governance of the new NMH, and recognises that these matters must be addressed.

This is a vital project and work is ongoing to finalise the legal framework that will underpin the relocation of the NMH to the Elm Park campus. The core objectives of the legal framework are to ensure that:

- firstly, all clinically appropriate services that are legally permissible are provided for women who need them in the new NMH;

- secondly, to prevent any undue influence, religious or otherwise in the operation of the new hospital; and

- thirdly, to protect the State’s investment, in relation to capital, revenue and service provision at the new hospital, for the public good.

In that regard there has been further engagement with stakeholders and this process is continuing. Once I am satisfied that the legal arrangements achieve the clear objectives that I set out above, then I will bring a proposal to Government for approval to proceed with this project.

Primary Care Centres

Questions (123)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

123. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 785 of 15 February 2022, the status of the development of a primary care centre on Inisbofin; the status of the acquisition of the site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16728/22]

View answer

Written answers

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

Top
Share