Tuesday, 26 Jul 2022

Written Answers Nos. 1501-1516

Child Abduction

Questions (1501)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

1501. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Justice if she will review and expedite the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39738/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Central Authority is located within my Department. My officials are currently corresponding with the Scottish Central Authority and the International Social Services of Ireland (ISSI) regarding this matter.

The current position is that my officials were awaiting a response from the ISSI regarding this placement. This response has now been received and the Scottish Central Authority has been informed.

Cross-Border Co-operation

Questions (1502)

Thomas Pringle

Question:

1502. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice the role of Ireland within FRONTEX; the future role of Ireland in relation to participation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39777/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

Frontex is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency related to the implementation of the Schengen Area. One of its responsibilities relates to assisting Member States in the return of people to their home countries who have exhausted all legal avenues to be allowed to stay within the EU.

During the pandemic a humane approach to the enforcement of deportation orders was taken by the Department and the Garda National Immigration Bureau. Deportation orders were not enforced, except in cases where an individual would be considered a threat to national security, or whose presence in Ireland would be contrary to the public interest.

With the lifting of public health restrictions and a return to more normal travel, it must be acknowledged that those who do not have a legal right to remain in this country must return to their own country, following fair procedure and having gone through all available avenues for appeal. Many people already do this voluntarily and are assisted by the Department and other organisations, such as the International Organization for Migration, where appropriate.

However, where a person does not voluntarily return to their own country, Ireland like all other EU Member States, puts in place arrangements to return persons to their home country. Those arrangements will resume in 2022.

The removal of people from Ireland who do not have a legal right to remain in the country is carried out by commercial or charter flights. Charter flights are carried out on a national level or jointly with other European countries.

Ireland is not a member of Frontex and does not make payments to the agency. However, Ireland can participate in Joint Return Operations (JROs) coordinated by Frontex on behalf of EU Member States.

Ireland is not be involved directly in Frontex land/sea operations, as these activities are carried out by the Frontex Standing Corps. However, Ireland has agreed to participate in the area of training, particularly in document expertise.

My Department has set aside €328,000 for 2022 to allow Ireland to participate in meetings, workshops and training.

Some funding has also been set aside to allow Ireland to lead on a JRO as the Organising Member State (OMS). Where Ireland is the OMS, we offer seats to Participating Member States (PMS) in Frontex, as we benefit from participating in Frontex led JROs and then reciprocate the seats provided to us.

Mental Health Services

Questions (1503, 1504)

Mark Ward

Question:

1503. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 1201 of 19 January 2022, if she will provide a status update of the pilot project; the current and capital cost involved in the establishment of the pilot crisis intervention team in Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39805/22]

Mark Ward

Question:

1504. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide details on the make-up of a crisis intervention team by funding and staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39807/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1503 and 1504 together.

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is responsible under the law for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the training and deployment of Garda personnel. As Minister, I have no direct role in such decisions. However, the area of appropriate mental health care, especially for the most vulnerable, has long been a priority for me.

The Deputy may be aware that the only statutory option currently available to Gardaí responding to persons in a mental health crisis and potentially posing a risk of harm to themselves or others is to invoke section 12 of the Mental Health Act 2001. Section 12 requires Gardaí to take the person into custody in order to have them assessed by a registered medical practitioner.

This reflects the unfortunate reality that Gardaí often encounter persons with severe mental health issues and will be called upon by members of the public, or, indeed, family members where a person is experiencing high levels of distress. Very often, members of An Garda Síochána are the first or the only available frontline service to whom people will turn in such situations.

The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland found that societal issues, such as mental health care, are not the responsibility of An Garda Síochána alone. Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) have become a globally recognised model within contemporary policing for safely and effectively assisting people who experience mental health crises or related problems within the community. The Crisis Intervention Team model promotes strong community partnerships among law enforcement, health professionals and appropriate follow-on support agencies.

The Commission recommended the establishment of multi-agency teams - to include Gardaí as well as other professionals - to respond to the needs of individuals with mental health issues. The establishment of crisis intervention units is a priority project under 'A Policing Service for our Future', the Government's implementation plan for the Commission's recommendations. It is envisaged that these units will involve specialist uniformed Garda personnel who will work jointly with health professionals to provide a rapid and integrated 24/7 response to people with mental health issues.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that a joint proposal for Community Access Support Teams (CAST), originally the CIT, was drawn up in collaboration with the HSE Mid-West and is currently under consideration.

Question No. 1504 answered with Question No. 1503.

Gambling Sector

Questions (1505)

Verona Murphy

Question:

1505. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 1349 on 14 June 2022, if she will confirm that the provision of games and lotteries by remote means, such as online and via apps is illegal in Ireland, given that it is not included for licensing in the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956; the penalties that apply in respect of any offences committed by offering such illegal games to the public in Ireland; the number of prosecutions that were taken in respect of such offences for each of the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39824/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Justice

The Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 significantly modernised the provisions of the 1956 Act. Gaming and lottery activity provided by either a permit from An Garda Síochána or a licence from the District Court are not prevented from being provided by remote means in addition to physical means at a premises. Lottery activities for charitable and philanthropic purposes are the lifeblood of our sports clubs and community organisations. Sales of tickets can take place online, which proved very important for those clubs and organisations during the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The issue of whether an offence might arise under the Acts is a matter for An Garda Síochána.

As the Deputy is aware, the Programme for Government gives a clear commitment to establish a gambling regulator focused on public safety and well-being, covering gambling online and in person, and the powers to regulate advertising, gambling websites and apps.

The Government has approved the Gambling Regulation Bill for priority drafting and publication, and drafting is underway. Importantly, the Bill will address the currently fragmented legislative framework in relation to gambling in the State and the regulation of same. To achieve this, the Bill will introduce a modernised and streamlined licensing framework to reflect the nature of gambling in the State, with new types of licences for both in-person and online / remote betting as follows:

- Business to Consumer Gaming, Betting and Lottery Licences;

- Business to Business Licences; and

- Gambling licences for Charitable/Philanthropic Causes.This approach is based on the recommendations of both the Inter-Departmental Working Group on Future Licensing and Regulation of Gambling and the Final report on the establishment of a modern regulatory environment and authority for all gambling activities licensed in Ireland. These reports are available on my Department’s website as follows: www.justice.ie/en/JELR/IDWG-Report-on-Future-Licensing-and-Regulation-of-Gambling.pdf/Files/IDWG-Report-on-Future-Licensing-and-Regulation-of-Gambling.pdf.

www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Final-Report-on-Gambling-Regulation.pdf/Files/Final-Report-on-Gambling-Regulation.pdf.

The Bill includes provisions to ensure that the Authority will have the necessary powers to enforce the licensing regime with statutory power to impose a range of appropriate sanctions.

There is a pathway mapped for this legislation progressing which, with the cooperation of the Houses of the Oireachtas, will facilitate the Authority being established and operational in 2023.

Recruitment of the CEO Designate is also underway through an open Public Appointments Service competition.

A Programme Board has been established in my Department to ensure that the legislation and the operational preparations are progressed in parallel so that the Authority commences operations as soon as possible after enactment.

International Protection

Questions (1506)

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Question:

1506. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice the status of an application by a person (details supplied) to the Afghan Admissions Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39849/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

The person referred to by the Deputy has made an application to the Afghan Admission Programme, which was received by my Department on 9 March 2022. In total, my Department has received 528 applications under the Programme. Officials in my Department are currently processing all applications and expect to issue decisions in the coming months.

It is also important to note that all current immigration avenues remain open for new applications, including visa and family reunification applications. Many people are already availing of these other avenues, and will continue to do so. Since the beginning of August 2021, a total of 135 join family visas have been approved for Afghan nationals as well as 77 family reunification applications.

Further details in relation to the other avenues available and how to apply can be found on my Department's immigration website (www.irishimmigration.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 ([e-mail]), 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.

Coroners Service

Questions (1507)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1507. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the process by which coroners are appointed or selected in the State [39852/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

The legislation governing the appointment of coroners is set out in the Coroners Act 1962, as amended. Section 8 of the Act makes provision for the appointment of coroners outside of the Dublin District. Coroners are appointed for particular districts within a local authority area by the local authority.

Subsection 6A of the Coroners Act 1962 as inserted by the Coroners (Amendment) Act 2019, provides that the Coroner for the District of Dublin shall be appointed by the Minister for Justice.

The Act also makes provision for the appointment of a Temporary/Acting Coroner in certain circumstances.

The main qualifying criteria for appointment as a coroner is that the person be a practising barrister or solicitor of at least five years' standing, or a registered medical practitioner who has been registered, other than provisionally or temporarily, under the Medical Practitioners Acts, 1927 to 1961, in the Register of Medical Practitioners for Ireland for at least five years.

Family Reunification

Questions (1508, 1509, 1543, 1544)

David Cullinane

Question:

1508. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Justice if she will address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39862/22]

Bríd Smith

Question:

1509. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice if she will examine and review the family reunification issuing of visa process, especially in the case of Nigerian and Ghanaian nurses who are working in Ireland and hold critical skills employment permits who are waiting extremely long periods of time to obtain visas for family members to join them resulting in a negative impact on their mental health; the steps that she will take to improve the time it is taking to issue these visas to family members; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39865/22]

Paul Murphy

Question:

1543. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if his attention to the delays experienced by migrant nurses from Ghana and Nigeria working in Ireland who are trying to bring their families to join them; and if she will facilitate the Nigerian and Ghanaian family reunification for critical skill permit holders under the category A division which states that any individual with such permit has the right for immediate family reunification. [40144/22]

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

1544. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice the reason that some nurses from Nigeria and Ghana who are registered and working in Ireland are currently waiting up to 12 months for their applications of family unification visas to be processed compared to their colleagues from other countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and India whose applications are processed in a few weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40151/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1508, 1509, 1543 and 1544 together.

Long Stay Join Family visa applications are processed in accordance with the guidelines set out in my Department's Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification, which can be found on my Department's immigration website: www.irishimmigration.ie.

The Policy Document contains a stated business target that visa applications for family reunification for immediate family members of Irish citizens and Category A sponsors, such as Critical Skills Employment Permit Holders, should be processed within six months of application. A 12 month target applies for applications to join Category B sponsors, such as Non Critical Skills Employment Permit Holders or Stamp 4 holders not covered by other arrangements.

However, it must be clarified that these are business targets and do not a constitute legal obligation. The business targets reflect the detailed and often complex assessment that is required to be carried out in relation to applications for family reunification.

If a person is working in the State on an atypical permission they are present on a short stay permission which gives no family reunification rights. It is only when they receive a Critical Skills Employment Permit that they then become a Category A sponsor and they can make an application for family members to join them.

All Join Family visa applications are processed in chronological order based on date order of receipt in the relevant Embassy or Visa Office. Processing times for each individual Visa Office overseas will vary as a result of the differing volume and complexity of applications and the resources available in that office. It may also be necessary for officials of my Department to investigate, inquire into, or seek further information in relation to particular applications.

The Deputy can be assured that every effort is made to keep processing times to a minimum, and a number of measures have been put in place to deal with the increased demand for visas to come to Ireland. This has included the streamlining of visa processes where possible. The position in this regard is being kept under review.

The central concern in deciding on visa applications, as with all visa services worldwide, is to strike an appropriate balance between protecting the country's vital national interests by maintaining an effective immigration regime while at the same time facilitating travel for those who meet the criteria. Each visa application is therefore decided on its own merits taking all factors into account.

Question No. 1509 answered with Question No. 1508.

Departmental Staff

Questions (1510)

Patrick Costello

Question:

1510. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the number of posts advertised by her Department through the mobility scheme at Assistant Principal and Principal Officer levels to date in 2022, in tabular form; the title of each post advertised, the number of applicants for each post, the number of applicants shortlisted for interview, if a suitable applicant was identified for the post; and if not, the way that the post was filled. [39883/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I wish to advise the Deputy that there have been no Principal Officer level posts advertised by my Department through the mobility scheme to-date in 2022.

The details of Assistant Principal level posts advertised by my Department through the mobility scheme are set out in the table below:

Title of role	Number of applicants	Number of shortlisted applicants	Candidate identified for the post Y/N
Criminal Justice – Anti Money Laundering & Compliance Unit	4	4	Y
Criminal Justice – Governance – Policing performance & compliance	3	3	Y
Criminal Justice Governance – Financial & Capital Resources	1	The application for this role is currently going through the shortlisting process	TBC
Criminal Justice – Governance – Policing Security and Community Safety Bill Implementation	2	1	Y
Criminal Justice – Policy – Economic Transnational and Organised Crime Policy	9	The applications for this role are currently going through the shortlisting process	TBC
Senior Regulatory Investigator (AP Equivalent) Criminal Justice – Anti Money Laundering & Compliance Unit	2	2	Y
Corporate – Data Protection Support & Compliance	1	0	N - Role being filled via Public Appointments Service

Residency Permits

Questions (1511)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

1511. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current residency status in the case of the daughter of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39886/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

My Department has no record of having received an immigration application on behalf of the person referred to by the Deputy, based on the details supplied.

If they are in the State without an immigration permission, they must engage with the authorities if they wish to be permitted to remain here legally. Therefore, I would encourage them to contact the Immigration Service of my Department or their local immigration office and to take all appropriate steps to regularise their status.

The scheme for the Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants opened for applications on 31 January 2022. Applications will be accepted for six months until 31 July 2022, when the scheme will close. The scheme is open to those who do not have a current permission to reside in the State and who meet the eligibility criteria, and will enable successful applicants to remain and reside in the State and to regularise their residency status.

When submitting an application for the scheme the onus is on the applicant to determine if they satisfy all of the eligibility criteria. Proofs of residency for each of the required years, proof of identity and proof of the claimed familial relationship must be included in the application. The applicant will also be required to complete eVetting and to meet the good character and conduct criteria.

Full details regarding the qualifying criteria, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document and the required documentation for the Scheme is available on my Department's website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/regularisation-of-long-term-undocumented-migrant-scheme/.

Prison Service

Questions (1512, 1513)

Ivana Bacik

Question:

1512. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice the status of plans to publish in full or in part the Inspector of Prison’s three-day monitoring report and section 31(2) investigation report relating to the Dóchas Centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39888/22]

Ivana Bacik

Question:

1513. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice the action that is being taken by her Department and the Irish Prison Service in response to the findings of the Inspector of Prison’s three-day monitoring report and section 31(2) investigation report relating to the Dóchas Centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39889/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1512 and 1513 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that based on legal advice received by my Department, it is not proposed to publish at this time the three day monitoring report (August 2020) or the section 31(2) (February 2022) report received from the Inspector of Prisons in relation to the Mountjoy Women’s Prison (Dóchas Centre).

Question No. 1513 answered with Question No. 1512.

Immigration Status

Questions (1514)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

1514. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the correct procedure to be followed for a person (details suppled); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39891/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

Based on the details supplied by the Deputy, my Department has been unable to locate any records for the person referred to by the Deputy.

If a person is resident in the State without permission and meets the terms of the scheme for the Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants, they should consider making an application before the closing date of 31 July 2022.

Full details regarding the qualifying criteria, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document and the required documentation for the scheme is available on my Department's immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/regularisation-of-long-term-undocumented-migrant-scheme/.

If they do not meet the terms of the scheme, I encourage them to contact my Department or their local immigration office and to take all appropriate steps to regularise their status. Any application submitted should explain their current circumstances and future intentions in the State and provide any documentation they feel will support their application.

A full consideration of all aspects of their case will be carried out before a decision is made to grant them permission to remain in the State or to make a Deportation Order. This will include a consideration of their private and family life rights, in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

In all cases, people must engage with the authorities if they wish to be permitted to remain here legally. A pragmatic approach is taken in relation to each case, which is considered on its individual merits.

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Questions (1515)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1515. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who have been arrested for sexual assault in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022; and the breakdown by county of these arrests in tabular form. [39901/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I can assure the Deputy that this Government is deeply committed to tackling sexual violence and sexual crime in all its forms.

Working to ensure that victims feel empowered to report sexual crimes and that when they do, they are fully supported at every stage of their interaction with our justice system, is a priority for me as Minister for Justice.

Building a criminal justice system that victims have confidence in is central to the actions set out in Supporting a Victim’s Journey . The implementation of the important reforms set out in this detailed action plan is continuing and a number of key actions have already been delivered including:

Legislating for the introduction of preliminary trial hearings which will reduce delay and disruption that might re-traumatise victims;

- The completion of the nationwide rollout of Divisional Protective Services Units (DPSUs);

- The first cohort of staff at a new sexual offences unit in the Director of Public Prosecutions office formally took up their roles in April 2021;

- Work to advance the training of all personnel who come into contact with vulnerable victims is underway;

- The University of Limerick has been commissioned by the Department to develop the framework for the operation and training of intermediaries and the first cohort of students will begin this course in September;

- A review of the supports and funding of civil society organisations providing frontline services to victims of sexual offences was conducted at the end of last year to identify where gaps may exist and how to bridge them and additional funding has been provided to a number of organisations to address the gaps identified.

The Deputy will also be aware that I recently brought to Government 'Zero Tolerance, The Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence'. This new plan has a particular focus on prevention, and on ensuring victims are better supported.

In relation to the specific information sought by the Deputy on the number of persons arrested for sexual assault, I have sought this information from An Garda Síochána and it is presented in the table below.

The table shows the number of individuals for whom at least one Prisoner Log was created on the PULSE system during the indicated years in relation to Sexual Assault[1] incidents.

Region/Division	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022**	Total
Dublin Region												1,245
D.M.R. Eastern	*	14	12	13	14	15	16	*	12	10	*
D.M.R. North Central	11	10	14	12	14	13	23	25	31	26	*
D.M.R. Northern	20	18	10	24	27	37	34	32	16	21	15
D.M.R. South Central	10	14	12	17	21	18	28	27	21	21	*
D.M.R. Southern	19	22	18	25	26	39	32	31	26	32	11
D.M.R. Western	13	19	10	26	25	17	11	17	24	26	12
Eastern Region												1,396
Kildare Div	*	12	16	11	12	12	10	15	25	24	*
Kilkenny/Carlow	14	11	12	23	21	26	18	20	15	18	*
Laois/Offaly	*	17	12	15	21	21	20	15	28	27	17
Meath Div	11	10	12	13	10	*	11	12	11	18	*
Waterford Div	18	22	17	18	14	24	28	24	40	35	28
Westmeath Div	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	17	12	12	*
Wexford Div	*	*	16	17	23	28	22	28	37	40	15
Wicklow Div	*	11	17	12	19	16	12	17	16	13	*
North Western Region												848
Cavan/Monaghan	19	18	12	15	11	18	22	12	10	12	*
Donegal	16	11	*	19	13	17	22	19	*	27	10
Galway Div	*	14	11	*	15	*	10	*	12	18	*
Louth Div	17	*	10	10	17	21	10	18	15	11	*
Mayo	*	*	*	*	*	*	12	14	14	11	*
Roscommon/Longford Div	*	*	*	*	14	*	10	12	*	14	*
Sligo/Leitrim	*	*	*	*	*	10	*	11	13	*	*
Southern Region												1,236
Clare	*	11	*	14	13	10	*	12	*	*	15
Cork City	18	25	28	20	22	25	30	31	21	28	*
Cork North	14	13	12	19	17	20	26	25	15	18	13
Cork West	*	14	13	*	*	*	13	*	16	12	*
Kerry	15	11	*	12	*	*	13	18	12	*	11
Limerick	19	24	25	23	26	28	18	27	28	18	20
Tipperary	19	27	12	17	15	22	12	14	18	31	12
National	331	378	345	412	437	486	481	518	512	543	282	4,725

* Fewer than 10

** 1 January to 14 July only

Counts are based on year of arrest and the related offence may have occurred during the same year or a previous year.

Division is the Garda Division in which the offender was taken into custody and may or may not be the same Division in which the offence took place and/or the Division of residence of the offender.

Figures are based on operational PULSE data as of 1:30am on the 15th of July 2022. Crime counting rules were not applied to data. Figures of less than 10 are not reported to ensure there are no issues from a data protection perspective.

[1] Includes incident types ‘Sexual Assault’ and ‘Aggravated Sexual Assault’ only. Does not include other sexual offences such as Rape.

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Questions (1516)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1516. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who have reported a sexual assault and rape in each of the past ten years; the number of arrests for sexual assault and rape for each of the last ten years, the number of prosecutions for sexual assault and rape each of the last ten years. [39902/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I can assure the Deputy that this Government is deeply committed to tackling sexual violence and sexual crime in all its forms.

Working to ensure that victims feel empowered to report sexual crimes and that when they do, they are fully supported at every stage of their interaction with our justice system, is a priority for me as Minister for Justice.

Building a system that victims have confidence in is central to the actions set out in Supporting a Victim’s Journey. The implementation of the important reforms set out in this detailed action plan is continuing and a number of key actions have already been delivered including:

- Legislating for the introduction of preliminary trial hearings which will reduce delay and disruption that might re-traumatise victims;

- The completion of the nationwide rollout of Divisional Protective Services Units (DPSUs);

- The first cohort of staff at a new sexual offences unit in the Director of Public Prosecutions office formally took up their roles in April 2021;

- Work to advance the training for all personnel who come into contact with vulnerable victims is underway;

- The University of Limerick has been commissioned by the Department to develop the framework for the operation and training of intermediaries and the first cohort of students will begin this course in September;

- A review of the supports and funding of civil society organisations providing frontline services to victims of sexual offences was conducted to identify where gaps may exist and how to bridge them and additional funding has been provided to a number of organisations in response to the findings of this mapping exercise.

The Deputy will also be aware that I recently brought to Government 'Zero Tolerance: the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence'. This new plan has a particular focus on prevention, and on ensuring victims are better supported.

In relation to the specific information sought by the Deputy, I have sought relevant information from An Garda Síochána and it is presented in the table below. In relation to the number of prosecutions for sexual assault in the past 10 years, I would remind the Deputy that the decision to prosecute in such cases is a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions who is independent in her functions. This is not something that I as Minister for Justice have any role in.

Table 1 shows:

- The number of persons who reported sexual assault [1] or rape [2] to An Garda Síochána each year between 2012 and 2022.[3]

- Arrests associated with sexual assault or rape incidents each year between 2012 and 2022. [4]

- Individuals arrested in relation to sexual assault or rape incidents each year between 2012 and 2022. [5]

- Charges and Summonses associated with sexual assault and rape incidents each year between 2012 and 2022. [6]

- Individuals Charged/Summonsed in relation to sexual assault and rape incidents each year between 2012 and 2022. [7]

	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022*
A. Individuals who reported sexual assault or rape	1,070	1,080	1,106	1,227	1,309	1,470	1,797	1,859	1,627	1,922	1,159
B. Arrests in relation to sexual assault or rape	554	530	539	585	597	697	694	739	744	845	389
C. Individuals arrested in relation to sexual assault or rape	541	503	504	539	541	639	633	672	682	712	350
D. Charges/Summons in relation to sexual assault or rape	1,326	487	865	645	1,313	707	1,253	1,025	1,101	2,246	1,148
E. Individuals charged/summonsed in related to sexual assault or rape	319	270	289	325	373	412	414	486	499	488	310

* To 20 July 2022

Additional Information

All figures are based on operational PULSE data as of 1.30am on 20th July 2022. Crime counting rules are not applied to ensure that all of the individuals who reported or were arrested/charged/summonsed in relation to sexual assault or rape during the years indicated in Table 1 were counted.

[1] Includes ‘Sexual Assault’ and ‘Aggravated Sexual Assault’ incident types

[2] Includes ‘Rape of a Female’ and ‘Rape Section 4’ incident types

[3] Year in this case is the year that incidents were reported. If an individual reported more than one incident in a particular year they are only counted once per year. The person who reported the incident is not necessarily the injured party.

[4] Counts are of PULSE Prisoner/Custody Logs according to the year in which the arrest took place. If more than one log was associated with the same person and incident then only the earliest recorded log is counted. An individual may be counted more than once per year if they were associated with more than one incident.

[5] Similar to B but each person is only counted once per year.

[6] Year in this case is the year in which the Charge or Summons was created on PULSE. If more than one Charge/Summons was associated with the same person and incident then only the earliest record is counted. An individual may be counted more than once per year if they were Charged/Summonsed in relation to more than one incident.

[7] Similar to D but each person in only counted once per year.