Tuesday, 26 Jul 2022

Written Answers Nos. 1517-1532

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Questions (1517)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1517. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who have been prosecuted for a sexual assault in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [39903/22]

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 specific information sought by the Deputy on 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.

Missing Persons

Questions (1518, 1519)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1518. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of ongoing missing persons cases in the State. [39904/22]

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1519. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons reported missing in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [39905/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1518 and 1519 together.

I have contacted An Garda Síochána for the information requested by the Deputy, regretfully this information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

I refer to Parliamentary Questions No. 1518 and 1519 of 26 July 2022 where you sought:

‘the number of ongoing missing persons cases in the State’ and ‘the number of persons reported missing in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022’

As you will recall, I had sought the information you requested from the Garda authorities and undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand.

At the outset, I would like to acknowledge the pain and trauma experienced by all families of missing persons. I am deeply conscious of how difficult life is for loved ones who simply don't know what has happened to their relative. My Department is committed to working with all relevant state bodies to help more families find their missing relatives.

As you will appreciate, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including operational matters such as investigations into missing persons.

I am informed by the Garda Authorities that as of 25 July 2022, there are 840 persons reported as missing and recorded as such on PULSE, which is a ‘live’ database and therefore is operational and subject to change.

A missing person investigation commences when the incident is reported to An Garda Síochána and is constantly reviewed at Superintendent level, in the relevant Garda district at specific junctures within the investigation to ensure that all actions appropriate to the investigation are being pursued and that the appropriate resources have been assigned to the investigation.

It should be noted that all missing person investigations remain open until the missing person is located.

The table appended below, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the number of unique persons per year that were reported missing in the specified years.

Appendix

Year Reported	Missing Person Incidents Reported	Unique Persons Reported Missing	Outstanding Missing Persons Incidents
2012	8,772	3,690	13
2013	7,771	3,343	<10*
2014	9,172	3,570	<10*
2015	9,898	3,670	24
2016	9,763	3,553	15
2017	9,412	3,719	18
2018	9,694	3,909	21
2019	9,509	4,096	24
2020	8,505	3,343	24
2021	9,605	3,513	15
2022 **	5,725 **	2,523 **	68 **

* Figures of less than 10 are not provided for data protection reasons.

** Figures up to and including 27 July 2022.

Question No. 1519 answered with Question No. 1518.

Domestic Violence

Questions (1520)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1520. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times that gardaí were called to the scene of domestic violence in each county in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [39906/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from the Garda authorities, however, the information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

I refer to your recent Parliamentary Questions number 1520 for answer on 26th of July 2022. In that question you sought the number of times that gardaí were called to the scene of domestic violence in each county in the State in each of the past 10 years and to date in 2022.

As you will recall, I sought the information from the Garda authorities but it was not available within the timeframe permitted and I undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand. I have now received a reply and I am happy to relay the information received to you.

I am informed by Garda authorities that to determine the number of Domestic Abuse calls reported in a given timeframe a number of criteria are applied. The counts in the table below are a combination of the following:

The PULSE incident type is one of:

- Breach of Interim Barring Order

- Breach of Protection Order

- Breach of Barring Order

- Breach of Safety Order

- Domestic Dispute - No Offence Disclosed

- Breach of Emergency Barring Order

- Or is of any incident type, but with a recorded motive of ‘Domestic Abuse’.

In addition to the above, incidents of any type recorded on PULSE which were the result of a call for assistance where the dispatcher assigned the type as ‘DVSA’ (Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault) are also included.

I’m informed that given some changes in recording over the years, the Garda Síochána Analysis Service (GSAS) will report figures from 2019 onwards by Garda division.

The table below shows counts of incidents reported per Garda division

Division	2019	2020	2021	2022*
D.M.R. Eastern	1,003	1,283	1,281	724
D.M.R. North Central	1,421	1,759	2,040	1,103
D.M.R. Northern	3,401	4,024	4,239	2,397
D.M.R. South Central	1,346	1,458	1,564	944
D.M.R. Southern	2,829	3,017	3,192	1,911
D.M.R. Western	3,843	4,519	4,935	2,778
Kildare	1,615	1,906	1,963	1,337
Kilkenny/Carlow	756	1,013	1,188	658
Laois/Offaly	1,203	1,423	1,647	950
Meath	1,454	1,567	1,707	982
Waterford	1,100	1,276	1,419	894
Westmeath	865	930	973	628
Wexford	915	1,237	1,481	927
Wicklow	944	1,052	1,009	646
Cavan/Monaghan	1,084	1,162	1,464	807
Donegal	1,054	1,200	1,338	765
Galway	1,468	1,766	2,190	1,241
Louth	1,550	1,994	2,291	1,272
Mayo	673	756	954	688
Roscommon/Longford	802	1,057	1,168	591
Sligo/Leitrim	652	903	1,073	575
Clare	780	841	976	589
Cork City	2,114	2,331	2,338	1,540
Cork North	906	1,020	1,165	688
Cork West	441	579	614	367
Kerry	1,073	1,189	1,234	768
Limerick	1,931	2,130	2,524	1,623
Tipperary	920	1,156	1,346	744

* to 25 th July 2022

Figures were collated based on PULSE data as of 1:30am on the 26th July, 2022. They are operational and may be liable to change. Crime counting rules are not applied to reflect all recorded incidents.

I hope this information is of assistance.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (1521)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1521. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times that gardaí were called to the scene of a burglary and break-in in each county in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [39907/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including Garda operations aimed at preventing and detecting crime. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

The 2021-2022 winter phase of Operation Thor was launched by Gardaí in October 2021. Operation Thor is designed to tackle burglaries and associated criminal activities, which often increase in the darker winter months, through targeted enforcement and crime prevention activity and information.

This annual focus from Operation Thor has proved highly successful in tackling property-related crime since its inception in November 2015. In 2015, there were in excess of 18,800 residential burglaries reported. By contrast, in 2021 there were just over 6,000 residential burglaries reported, a reduction of over 66% or approximately 13,000 fewer residential burglaries.

While the COVID-19 pandemic was clearly a factor in some of this reduction, with people more likely to be present in their homes throughout the day, there has been a marked and consistent downward trend in such offences since the introduction of this Garda focus through Operation Thor.

The table below, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the number of burglary and aggravated burglary incidents reported to An Garda Síochána in each year from 2012 up to 13 July 2022. I am advised incidents are grouped by county of occurrence.

County	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022*	Total
Carlow	507	498	391	330	190	222	186	160	90	99	62	2,735
Cavan	286	205	218	325	234	348	274	213	134	98	60	2,395
Clare	364	369	351	380	291	235	274	217	177	135	83	2,876
Cork	1,513	1,442	1,303	1,473	838	1,012	883	804	576	464	262	10,570
Donegal	443	392	405	322	214	292	224	257	138	121	65	2,873
Dublin	10,513	9,987	11,784	11,201	8,555	7,955	7,394	7,480	4,919	3,433	2,144	85,365
Galway	993	872	980	887	513	673	597	528	409	357	177	6,986
Kerry	336	311	357	386	177	248	253	257	179	131	77	2,712
Kildare	1,777	1,263	1,423	1,367	957	1,171	891	966	424	388	263	10,890
Kilkenny	544	556	529	376	235	212	219	193	139	109	73	3,185
Laois	597	642	667	584	358	335	287	234	132	146	95	4,077
Leitrim	118	80	123	99	75	135	77	75	67	52	16	917
Limerick	1,170	1,068	1,055	1,072	747	803	924	804	569	432	259	8,903
Longford	294	292	243	206	132	175	147	125	60	78	50	1,802
Louth	1,184	1,149	1,070	1,063	729	667	653	511	355	288	178	7,847
Mayo	485	337	322	312	249	218	210	169	102	105	69	2,578
Meath	1,226	1,043	938	872	587	794	614	560	387	317	261	7,599
Monaghan	173	146	133	95	114	131	128	200	120	96	59	1,395
Offaly	381	408	408	388	252	312	157	197	136	162	94	2,895
Roscommon	254	165	178	172	123	163	109	116	57	80	44	1,461
Sligo	279	254	245	224	144	135	164	136	89	84	33	1,787
Tipperary	694	748	632	515	432	371	374	398	275	248	159	4,846
Waterford	737	801	822	807	545	546	404	360	222	182	116	5,542
Westmeath	560	663	575	336	244	356	245	306	147	191	134	3,757
Wexford	1,093	1,088	996	1,044	522	552	448	475	368	339	154	7,079
Wicklow	1,193	851	917	887	643	707	487	674	317	254	185	7,115
National	27,714	25,630	27,065	25,723	18,100	18,768	16,623	16,415	10,588	8,389	5,172	200,187

*1 January to 13 July 2022

I am informed by the Garda authorities that forcible entry into a building (‘break-in’) is assumed in this case to include the intent of committing an offence and thus falls under the description of Burglary (as required to be recorded as such on PULSE).

I am further informed that a national total of 51 incidents of ‘Forcible Entry & Occupation (Not Burglary)’ were recorded on PULSE since 1 January 2012. I understand this offence refers specifically to forcible entry on land or into vehicles.

I am advised that the above figures were collated based on data from PULSE as of 1:30am on the 14 July 2022. The Deputy will appreciate that these figures are operational and may be liable to change. I am further advised that crime counting rules have been applied to reflect all recorded incidents.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (1522)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1522. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times that gardaí were called to the scene of suspected murder or suspicious deaths in each county in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022 in tabular form [39908/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

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

However, to be assistance to the Deputy, 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.

For the Deputy's information, the below table outlines the number of Homicide offences, which refers to all unlawful killings for the past 10 years and for the first quarter of 2022. It is comprised of four subcategories: Murder, Manslaughter, Infanticide and Dangerous driving leading to death.

Type of Offence	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	* Q1 2022
Murder	51	48	48	27	33	39	39	33	33	22	7
Manslaughter	8	11	11	9	10	9	8	6	5	2	0
Infanticide	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dangerous driving leading to death	29	37	53	47	43	48	39	28	35	21	4
Total	88	96	112	83	86	96	86	67	73	45	11

Furthermore, the latest available crime statistics as published by the Central Statistics Office are publicly available at the link below.

data.cso.ie/table/CJQ06.

Prison Service

Questions (1523, 1524, 1526)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1523. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who were assaulted while in prison in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022, in tabular form; the number of victims that were assaulted; and the number of prison staff that were assaulted. [39909/22]

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1524. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who reported being sexually assaulted while in prison in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [39910/22]

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1526. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons currently in prison in the State who have reported assault while in prison. [39912/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos.1523, 1524 and 1526 together.

As previously advised in a reply to the Deputy on 22 March, the Irish Prison Service commenced centrally recording the data relating to prisoner on staff assaults and prisoner on prisoner assaults in 2012.

The data requested by the Deputy in relation to assaults for the period 2012 to 2021 is provided in the tables below. The Deputy may wish to note figures also available on the website of the Irish Prison Service at www.irishprisons.ie.

Figures are not available for 2022 as records are collated on a yearly basis and published in March or April of the following year. This allows for more accurate recording as a person may not report an assault for a number of months and it also provides an opportunity for a more in depth analysis of the figures before statistics are published.

Any act of violence against a person is unacceptable whether it is carried out against a prisoner, prison officer or other staff member. I am advised by my officials in the Prison Service that necessary supports are available to those who are the victims of such assaults.

I am further advised that in accordance with Prison Rules 2007 any criminal act carried out within a prisons is reported to An Gardaí Síochána for investigation and prosecution and are referred to the medical teams within the prison for attention and follow up action where necessary.

Table 1. Prisoner on Prisoner assaults

Prison	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Arbour Hill	4	7	6	5	0	0	1	2	0	0
Castlerea	73	103	119	117	139	79	76	85	44	45
Cloverhill	97	76	90	88	82	42	54	86	26	25
Cork	43	30	51	27	33	44	42	61	64	46
Dóchas Centre	25	21	16	47	30	33	28	39	0	8
Limerick	45	31	37	24	5	18	28	32	17	19
Loughan House	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0
Midlands	68	88	77	47	50	45	44	23	29	57
Mountjoy (Male)	92	107	96	176	156	113	110	103	26	14
St.Patrick's Inst.	156	57	9	2	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Portlaoise	12	5	11	2	15	14	0	1	4	0
Shelton Abbey	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	2
Training Unit	0	0	1	0	0	2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wheatfield	98	77	74	47	55	24	20	10	28	32
PSEC	0	2	2	4	7	3	12	9	1	1
Total	715	604	589	587	572	417	418	452	250	249

Table 2. Prisoner on Staff assaults

Prison	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Arbour Hill	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Castlerea	7	5	9	11	1	13	12	12	4	7
Cloverhill	9	12	20	8	21	8	11	19	4	14
Cork	7	8	13	7	3	9	15	12	4	7
Dóchas Centre	3	7	8	5	26	14	8	23	12	14
Limerick	10	5	3	2	4	8	8	14	8	15
Loughan House	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Midlands	10	7	13	17	7	15	13	10	13	13
Mountjoy (Male)	19	34	30	22	12	18	24	20	17	15
St.Patrick's Inst.	36	49	20	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Portlaoise	0	3	2	6	5	3	4	0	1	0
Shelton Abbey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Training Unit	0	0	0	0	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wheatfield	6	10	26	10	12	10	5	10	5	2
PSEC	0	7	6	3	5	6	9	3	2	2
OSG	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0
Total	107	147	151	91	98	104	110	123	70	91

Question No. 1524 answered with Question No. 1523.

Prison Service

Questions (1525, 1527)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1525. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons currently in prison in the State. [39911/22]

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1527. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons currently in prison in the State who have previously served separate prison sentences for previous offences [39913/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1525 and 1527 together.

I am advised by my officials in the Irish Prison Service that on 21 July 2022 there were 4,188 persons in custody, of whom 2,430 had previous sentenced custodial periods.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government 2020 contains a broad range of policies and proposals that represent a coherent approach to enhancing and sustaining a more just and safe society with a specific commitment to review policy options for prison and penal reform. Work focused on reducing reoffending is an important part of this.

Justice Plan 2022 commits to the publication of a Penal Policy Action Plan for 2022-2024. As part of this work, a cross-sectoral group which includes the Head of Criminal Justice Policy in my Department, the Director-General of the Irish Prison Service and the Director of the Probation Service, was established in September 2020 to devise the action plan. This work will, inter alia, build on a number of initiatives that have been introduced over the past decade to reduce reoffending, including Community Return and Community Support Schemes and the Joint Agency Response to Crime (JARC).

The action plan, which is the report of the cross-sectoral group tasked with undertaking this review, is expected to be published shortly. The appropriate use of non-custodial sanctions and the role they can play in addressing criminality, reducing reoffending and providing protection to the public, while holding the individual accountable, is among the issues the group will make recommendations on.

We also know the role that mental health issues and addiction play in reoffending and the Programme for Government commits to the establishment of a Task Force to consider the mental health and addiction issues of persons in prison and primary care support on release. It also acknowledges the recent Mental Health Policy “Sharing the Vision” and commits to establishing the National Implementation and Monitoring Committee to oversee this work.

In April 2021, I established the Taskforce in conjunction with the Minister for Health. The work of the Taskforce is continuing apace and the aim is to shortly finalise a report, including a high level implementation plan assigning responsibility and timelines for its recommendations, as the implementation obligations will fall to a range of Departments and bodies.

Question No. 1526 answered with Question No. 1523

Question No. 1527 answered with Question No. 1525.

Prison Service

Questions (1528)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1528. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of prisoners who died in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022; and if she will detail the cause of death in each case. [39915/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I can advise the Deputy that the information relating to the number of prisoners who died in the State in each of the last ten years and to date in 2022 is provided in the tables below.

The Irish Prison Service does not record the cause of death where the death occurred while the prisoner was outside the prison either on temporary release, renewable temporary release, full temporary release or unlawfully at large.

All deaths in custody are notified to An Garda Síochána, who investigate where circumstances warrant, in addition to the inquest held in the Coroner's Court. The cause of death is determined by a jury on the basis of the information presented to the Coroner's Court.

The Deputy will also be aware that since April 2012 all deaths in custody are also subject to an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons.

Further the Prison Service has a robust, internal review mechanism which assesses the circumstances of a death in custody, highlights accountability and actions taken in relation to the incident, and outlines lessons learned. This outcome review is reported to the Irish Prison Service National Suicide and Harm Prevention Steering Group, which is chaired by the Director General.

The circumstances of each death in custody and incident of self-harm are also examined by a suicide prevention group in each institution. The groups are chaired by the Prison Governor and include representatives from the various services including; Prison Doctor, Psychiatry, Psychology, Chaplaincy, Probation, Education, and Prison staff. The Groups are required to meet quarterly, or more often if necessary. Their examinations fully cover the background and circumstances of each death. Their objective is to identify, where possible, measures which might be implemented to contribute to a reduction in the risk of deaths in the future.

Table 1: Total Deaths in custody from 2012 to 27 June 2022 inclusive that took place while the prisoner was in Prison, outside the prison on Temporary Release, on Renewable Temporary Release, Full Temporary Release or Unlawfully at Large:

Year	In Prison	Temporary Release	Renewable Temporary Release	Full Temporary Release	Unlawfully at large	Annual Total
2022	13		1			14
2021	8		2			10
2020	8	3	2		1	14
2019	14	1	6			21
2018	9	2	7		1	19
2017	10	4				14
2016	5	2	3			10
2015	15	6	1	1		23
2014	8	5	2			15
2013	9	4	1			14
2012	5	7	6			18
Total	104	34	31	1	2	172

Table 2: Deaths in Custody 2010 to 27 June 2022 inclusive classified by cause of death as determined by Coroner:

Year	Suicide	Deceased took his own life	Misadventure	Natural Causes	Open	Narrative Verdict	Unlawful Killing	Inquest Pending	Annual Total
2022	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	13
2021	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	8
2020	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	7	8
2019	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	11	14
2018	1	0	1	3	0	0	0	4	9
2017	2	0	1	2	2	0	0	3	10
2016	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	5
2015	1	1	4	4	1	2	1	1	15
2014	2	0	3	1	1	1	0	0	8
2013	3	0	1	2	1	0	0	2	9
2012	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	5
Total	13	2	11	18	6	4	1	49	104

An Garda Síochána

Questions (1529)

Michael Creed

Question:

1529. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí serving in Cork north and Cork west divisions in July 2017, July 2019 and in July 2022. [39924/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

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 deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that at 30 June 2022, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 14,299 Garda members nationwide. This represents an increase of approximately 6% since end December 2017 when there were 13,551 Garda members.

For the Deputy's information the attached spreadsheet, which was provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Gardaí assigned to Cork North and Cork West Divisions at end July 2017, end July 2019, and at end June 2022, the latest date for which figures are available.

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.

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 interests of transparency, further detailed information in relation to Garda numbers can be found on my Department’s website. 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.

Garda assignments

Departmental Advertising

Questions (1530)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1530. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the amount spent on traditional and online advertising by her Department in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [39959/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

With regard to the Deputy’s question about the total amount spent on traditional and online advertising in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022, I am advised that it is not possible to isolate data from our financial records to those specifically relating to spend on traditional and online advertising only.

However, the following table provides the information sought insofar as it relates to the costs of public information or awareness notices, or public awareness information campaigns for the time period in question.

Year	Public information and awareness notices	Public awareness information campaigns
2012	€68,797
2013	€60,152
2014	€80,416
2015	€108,001
2016	€52,868	€737,871.82
2017	€120,685	€984,350.88
2018	€70,909	€979,775.70
2019	€102,607	€712,788.85
2020	€35,737	€1,296,449.58
2021	€98,427	€1,220,830.38
2022 YTD	€19,291	€87,962.85

Public information or awareness notices would typically related to job advertisements in newspapers, publication of awareness information in Iris Oifigiúil, and so on. Public awareness information campaigns which have included paid media aspects since 2016 include campaigns in relation to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, building awareness of the Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants Scheme which opened for applications on 31 January 2022 and will close on 31 July 2022, and building awareness of the dangers of fireworks.

Departmental Contracts

Questions (1531)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1531. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice if her Department has spent money or sought external assistance with Departmental, Ministerial public relations; and if so, the cost; and the name of the agencies, consultants and companies involved in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [39977/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not incurred any cost in relation to the provision of Departmental or Ministerial public relations services since 2012. It is my Department's policy to use in house resources as much as possible and to minimise the use of external consultants.

Departmental Legal Cases

Questions (1532)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1532. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of legal cases brought against her Department in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39995/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

It has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy to provide this information as soon as it is available.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

I refer to your Parliamentary Question No. 1532 to my Department, which was for answer on 26 July 2022, and in which you requested the number of legal cases brought against my Department in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022; and if I will make a statement on the matter.

As you will recall, the information you requested could not be obtained in the time available and I undertook to contact you again once the information was collated.

My Department is working hard at improving its data collection, however, it does not have complete information to hand for the last ten years as requested. To retrospectively provide this information for the ten year period requested would require a disproportionate amount of staff time and resources, and would be extremely onerous to compile.

Set out below is information in relation to cases handled by the State Claims Agency for the last ten years and an update on the figures provided to you in October 2021 regarding cases handled by the Chief State Solicitor’s Office.

The State Claims Agency manages certain types of personal injury and property damage involving the Department of Justice. The Chief State Solicitor’s Office handles other litigation involving the Department including personal injury actions not delegated to the State Claims Agency, commercial, constitutional, administrative and employment litigation involving the Department. Both bodies have reverted with basic statistical information.

State Claims Agency

2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022 (to end June)
9	8	10	9	13	15	10	9	6	7	4

The above table relates to claims against the Department of Justice and shows the number of cases received in each of the years 2012 to the end of June 2022.

Chief State Solicitor’s Office

2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022 (to end September)
1,466	1,569	1,582	1,575	1,395	902	538

In relation to the table of cases being handled by the Chief State Solicitor’s Office, best endeavours have been made to exclude files where the transactional or advisory files involve the Department or where the Department is bringing the proceedings. It is not possible to be definitive in that regard without reviewing each individual file, which is not feasible at this time. The figures provided above show the number of new cases received in each of the years 2016 to date.