Tuesday, 29 Nov 2022

Written Answers Nos. 555-578

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (555, 556)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

555. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the total number of persons who have been fined for breaching Covid-19 travel restrictions since the start of the pandemic by county. [58950/22]

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

556. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the total amount in Euro that was collected in fines which were issued for breaches of Covid-19 restrictions in each county since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. [58951/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 and 556 together.

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. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

As the Deputy will also be aware, responsibility for policing the Public Health regulations during the Covid-19 public health emergency rested with the Garda Commissioner. Further, responsibility for the legislation underpinning the Public Health response lies with my colleague, the Minister for Health.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the table attached to this response details the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued in relation to Covid-19 related offences, including those relating to travel restrictions. It also shows the total amount paid and the number of distinct individuals in relation to these FPNs. Figures are grouped according to the county in which the offence occurred.

Please note that this data is taken from the PULSE system as at 23 November 2022, and may be liable to change. The date of offences ranged from 26 November 2020 to 6 February 2022. Fine amount is dependent on the type of offence.

Table 1: Covid-19 FPNs by County

	All FPNs			Travel Restriction FPNs Only
	Persons	FPNs	Total Paid	Persons	FPNs	Total Paid
Carlow	129	134	€8,630	112	112	€6,600
Cavan	295	302	€20,300	214	214	€10,100
Clare	446	455	€27,360	405	405	€22,500
Cork	3,507	3,518	€246,570	2,820	2,820	€150,200
Donegal	905	926	€60,790	713	714	€40,300
Dublin	7,259	7,346	€905,110	6,143	6,150	€762,700
Galway	1,317	1,338	€133,180	794	794	€41,800
Kerry	471	474	€31,730	390	390	€19,700
Kildare	434	437	€19,660	411	411	€16,700
Kilkenny	364	365	€26,780	278	278	€14,100
Laois	324	330	€11,600	296	296	€9,200
Leitrim	216	224	€10,500	165	165	€4,700
Limerick	1,283	1,295	€128,150	818	820	€48,300
Longford	334	337	€16,460	266	266	€11,500
Louth	686	696	€37,190	570	571	€27,600
Mayo	469	470	€32,460	353	353	€19,800
Meath	483	488	€24,720	432	432	€20,000
Monaghan	398	398	€19,560	259	259	€11,500
Offaly	322	326	€18,010	286	286	€12,200
Roscommon	192	194	€11,360	147	147	€6,500
Sligo	283	288	€26,440	187	187	€10,100
Tipperary	574	579	€31,310	439	439	€16,400
Waterford	860	865	€63,200	588	588	€29,600
Westmeath	251	262	€15,730	214	214	€10,600
Wexford	420	430	€20,800	392	392	€17,900
Wicklow	655	655	€40,630	645	645	€39,600
Total	22,877	23,132	€1,988,230	18,337	18,348	€1,380,200

Question No. 556 answered with Question No. 555.

Departmental Data

Questions (557)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

557. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the total number of persons that were arrested for suspected fraud in the State in each of the past ten years to date in 2022. [58952/22]

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 for operational matters such as arrests for suspected fraud. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

However to be of assistance, the below table provided to me by An Garda Síochána outlines the number of arrests associated with fraud recorded in the PULSE system, as of 24th November 2022 for each of the past ten years.

	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022*	Grand Total
Count	22	17	30	20	20	12	28	232	375	519	402	1677

* I have been informed that the above information is based upon operational data from the PULSE system as was available at 01:00 on 25 November 2022 and is liable to change.

I am also informed that the search of the PULSE database was conducted for custody logs associated with incidents of one of the following types:

- Employee/Internal Fraud

- Insurance Fraud

- Welfare/Benefit Fraud

- Shopping/Online Auction Fraud

- Account Take Over Fraud

- Card Not Present Fraud

- Bogus Tradesman Fraud

- Possession of an Article (Fraud)

- Phishing/Vishing/Smishing Frauds

- Cheque Fraud

- Accommodation Fraud

- Loan/Mortgage Fraud

- Investment Fraud

- Romance Fraud

- ATM Fraud/Black Box attacks

Departmental Data

Questions (558)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

558. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the total number of murders or suspected murders which took place in the State in each of the past ten years to date in 2022; and the breakdown by county in 2021 and 2022. [58953/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

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.

The Deputy will be interested to know that the CSO publish figures across a number of categories including Murder and Attempts/Threats to Murder, Manslaughter and Infanticide. These figures can be found at the following link: data.cso.ie/table/CJA01

The Deputy may also be interested to know that there is also a section on Homicide Offences in the recently published Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence report.

www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/office-of-corporate-communications/news-media/an-garda-siochana-domestic-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-report-sept-22.pdf

An Garda Síochána

Questions (559)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

559. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times that gardaí have been called to incidents in domestic violence shelters in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [58960/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

Tackling domestic violence and supporting victims are key priorities for me as Minister for Justice and for Government as a whole. This is something that the Garda Commissioner and An Garda Síochána also attaches the highest priority to.

In relation to the specific information sought by the Deputy, I am informed by An Garda Síochána that there is no location type of ‘Domestic Violence Shelter’ in PULSE and therefore it is not possible to provide the information sought.

In this regard, I refer the Deputy to parliamentary question 473 of the 15th November 2022, which may be of interest, in so far as it outlines figures relating to domestic abuse incidents across all divisions of An Garda Síochána in the year to date, including the number of calls received by An Garda Síochána to respond to domestic abuse incidents; the number of criminal charges referred for breaches of domestic abuse court orders; the number of criminal charges reported for alleged crimes involving an element of domestic abuse.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (560)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

560. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times that gardaí have been called to incidents in direct provision centres in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [58961/22]

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 independent functions.

I have been informed by An Garda Síochána that there is no location type of 'direct provision centres' on the Garda PULSE system. As a result, An Garda Síochána are unable to provide the information sought, or any reliable information related.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (561)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

561. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times the Garda armed response unit has been dispatched in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [58962/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána. Regrettably this information was not available in time and I will write to the Deputy again once it is to hand.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 561 of 29 November 2022 where you sought:

“The number of times the Garda armed response unit has been dispatched in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022.”

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

As you are aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for carrying on and managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that armed support assets or personnel are deployed by An Garda Síochána in a number of different methods / formats namely:

- as operational armed support patrols;

- as dedicated pre-planned operations;

- attending spontaneous incidents; and

- attending hostage, barricade and suicidal (HBS) incidents which incorporates a deployment capacity of tactically trained Gardaí specialised in the area of lethal and less-lethal firearm capabilities – i.e. a tactical specialised resource capability regarding the threat or use of firearms in order to professionally combat same within the policing environs.

I am informed that the establishment of Regional Armed Support Units commenced in 2012 in order to augment the capacity and capabilities of the Emergency Response Unit (An Garda Síochána’s National Firearms Unit) and its associated regionalised centres on an incremental basis (as per dependency on operational requirements and resource availability).

I am advised that the CAD system is an electronic command and control process for the management of policing resources. The current operational Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system does not currently have a data retrieval function that provides statistical data of this nature.

I am further advised that a significant and disproportionate amount of Garda resources would be required to fulfil your request for data for the period requested and that, in light of the complexities outlined above, An Garda Síochána is not in a position to provide the information you have sought.

I am informed that it is envisaged the procurement and installation of the new Computer Aided Dispatch System in 2023 by An Garda Síochána will address such deficits in the current operational system from a statistical perspective.

I hope that this information is of assistance.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (562)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

562. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times that gardaí have been called to incidents in homeless shelters in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [58963/22]

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 independent functions.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that there is no location type of ‘Homeless Shelter’ on PULSE. Therefore it is not possible to provide the Deputy with the information requested.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (563)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

563. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times that gardaí have been called to incidents involving persons entering or seeking to enter the river Corrib in Galway city in each of the past five years and to date in 2022. [58964/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána. Regrettably this information was not available in time and I will write to the Deputy again once it is to hand.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51.

I refer to Parliamentary Question No.563 of 29 November 2022 where you sought:

"The number of times that Gardaí have been called to incidents involving persons entering or seeking to enter the river Corrib in Galway city in each of the past five years and to date in 2022.”

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

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the table below shows the number of incidents recorded on PULSE under the category of ‘Person Misadventure’, recorded in Gaillimh station, where the incident narrative refers to ‘River’ or ‘Corrib’. Please note that this PULSE category includes categories relating to missing persons, mental health, sudden death and suicide. Clearly these are tragic and distressing circumstances and my sympathies are with the persons concerned and those close to them.

PULSE Category	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	01/01/2022 to 22/11/2022
Person Misadventure	22	17	18	24	28	30

I am further advised that these figures may not fully reflect all incidents of An Garda Síochána being called to incidents involving a person entering or seeking to enter the River Corrib in Galway City. Depending on the nature of the call, the incident may have been classified as something other than 'Person Misadventure'.

The figures provided above were collated based on PULSE data in November 2022. They are operational and may be liable to change.

I hope that this information is of assistance.

Road Traffic Accidents

Questions (564)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

564. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of fatal road traffic collisions in each of the years from 2020 to 2021 and to date in 2022; the number of drivers involved per year; the number of cases of drivers in which the status of their driver licence or learner permit is unknown; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58967/22]

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. As Minister for Justice, I have no role in such matters.

An Garda Síochána are committed to working closely with all road safety agencies to focus on high risk behaviour with the key objective of reducing the number of serious injury collisions and fatalities on our roads.

I am informed that levels of enforcement are high and involve targeted policing and awareness raising measures, including the deployment of safety cameras throughout the country with a view to preventing the commission of offences, detecting errant road users, changing the behaviour and ultimately reducing death and injuries on our roads.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics including the number of road deaths (fatalities) and the number of injured (casualties) on the roads in Ireland between each year.

These statistics are prepared by the Road Safety Authority following analysis of the fatality reports provided to the RSA by An Garda Síochána and are available at the link below:

www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-wbhub/well-beinginformationhub/safetyandsecurity/personskilledorinjuredonroads/

I am informed that information pertaining to the status of the driver’s license statuses is not available as a component of the driver fatality statistics.

Departmental Data

Questions (565)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

565. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the amount in monetary value of drugs seized by gardaí in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [59000/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I am advised by the Garda authorities that information in relation to the quantity and value of drugs seized by An Garda Síochána is set out in their Annual Reports.

The Annual Reports for the years 2012 to 2020 are available on the Garda website (www.garda.ie). The information in the Reports is prepared on the basis of records maintained by Forensic Science Ireland in relation to the quantity of drugs analysed annually at its laboratory.

To be of assistance I can inform the Deputy that the figure for the value of drugs analysed for 2021 is €41,565,384.

To be of further assistance below is a table compiled from the information available.

Year	Amount Seized (millions of euro)
2021	€41,565,384
2020	€31,406,368
2019	€30,572,365
2018	€30,696,694
2017	€71,859,695
2016	€29,706,281
2015	€46,704,248
2014	€57,000,010
2013	€64,872,695
2012	€115,440,084

Figures for 2022 are not yet available, and will be published as part of An Garda Síochána's Annual Report for 2022.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (566)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

566. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the details of the way that the Garda vetting system functions; the length of time that the system goes back; and if the history of a person who was arrested but was not charged shows up on the system. [59001/22]

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 responsibility for the Garda vetting system. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

However, I am advised that the primary purpose of the employment vetting carried out by the National Vetting Bureau is to seek to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. It is carried out by An Garda Síochána in accordance with the provisions of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012-2016. This important work needs to be carried out thoroughly and correctly.

I am also advised by the Garda authorities that it is necessary on occasion for An Garda Síochána to conduct enquiries with agencies such as the Courts Service, Probation Service, Child and Family Agency, etc. in relation to processing vetting applications.

These enquiries are conducted for a multiplicity of reasons such as verification of identity, updating of incomplete records and establishing outcomes of investigations. I am informed that, in such instances, processing times are significantly longer than the average.

I am informed that in general, the vetting process functions as follows –

Step 1 – The vetting subject manually completes and forwards to a relevant organisation a vetting invitation form and provides proof of identity.

Step 2 – The relevant organisation confirms proof of identity and sends the vetting subject an e-mail with link attached inviting him/her to complete a vetting application form.

Step 3 – The vetting subject completes the vetting application form online and submits it to the relevant organisation.

Step 4 – The relevant organisation reviews the vetting application form and submits it to the Garda National Vetting Bureau.

Step 5 – The Garda National Vetting Bureau processes the application and forward a vetting disclosure to the relevant organisation.

Step 6 – The relevant organisation accesses the vetting disclosure through the online portal.

It is important to note that prior to the Vetting Bureau forwarding the vetting disclosure (Step 5), under Section 15 of the Act, if specified information is to be disclosed to a relevant organisation the Chief Bureau Officer must, in advance, notify the vetting subject of the intention to disclose the information.

On receiving this notification, the vetting subject may make a submission in writing to the Chief Bureau Officer concerning the information, not later than 14 days, from the date of notification, or a longer period if the Chief Bureau Officer specifies.

I am further advised that the Garda National Vetting Bureau have access to all records generated by members of An Garda Síochána, irrespective of how old they are. Records relating to arrests where no charges are brought against the person are analysed in the vetting process.

A vetting disclosure will include particulars of the criminal record (if any) relating to the person, and a statement of the specified information (if any) relating to the person which the Chief Bureau Officer has determined in accordance with Section 15 of the Act should be disclosed, or state that there is no criminal record or specified information, in relation to the person.

The inclusion of any records of an arrest where no charges were brought as part of the 'specified information' in a vetting disclosure is a decision for the Chief Bureau Officer of the Garda Vetting Bureau, if he or she is satisfied that a disclosure of specified information is necessary, proportionate and reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of children or vulnerable persons or both, as the case may be.

As Minister I have no role in such decisions, nor can I comment on decisions made regarding any individual vetting application.

Individual applicants can track the process of their application online using the eVetting tracking system, details of which are contained in the email received by all applicants when completing their application online. Further details on this facility are also outlined on An Garda Síochána's website, vetting.garda.ie.

I can also inform the Deputy that a Garda Vetting Review Group was established in April 2021 and meets regularly to discuss proposals regarding potential amendments to vetting legislation. This group includes members of the National Vetting Bureau in An Garda Síochána, officials from my Department, Tusla and other relevant stakeholders.

The primary focus of the Group is to deliberate on and formulate recommendations to strengthen the vetting legislation in an effective manner. Issues to be considered by the Group include any changes which may be possible around the matter of re-vetting and I hope that the Group will be in a position to report on its work early in the new year.

State Bodies

Questions (567)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

567. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the amount transferred from the Criminal Assets Bureau to the public purse in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [59011/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a multi-agency statutory body established under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act, 1996. The Bureau has staff drawn from An Garda Síochána, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (including Customs), the Department of Social Protection and my Department.

The Bureau’s remit is to target the assets, wherever situated, of persons which derive or are suspected to derive, directly or indirectly, from criminal conduct. Since its inception, the Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting organised crime in this jurisdiction – disrupting the activities of criminal gangs through the removal of their ill-gotten gains - and has been recognised as a world leader in asset investigations, tracing and forfeiture.

The Bureau works closely with Gardaí and all law enforcement agencies at national and international levels and continues to focus its efforts on targeting assets deriving from all types of criminal conduct. The Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act 2005 makes provision for the Bureau to seize assets that were generated in foreign jurisdictions. This Act enables the Bureau to cooperate fully with other international asset recovery agencies.

The table below, provided by CAB, indicates the total value of assets and cash seized by the Bureau for the years 2011-2021.

Year	Section 2 Interim Orders EURO	Section 2 Interim Orders STERLING
2011	5,384,559.73	6,725.00
2012	2,110,334.78
2013	2,821,302.00
2014	6,760,182.00
2015	941,078.59
2016	643,063.07
2017	7,020,539.20
2018	8,263,582.30
2019	64,985,550.30*
2020	5,814,206.00
2021	3,068,528.00

* The 2019 figure includes the granting of a freezing order over cryptocurrency to the value of €53,023,140.

The table below sets out the total monies returned to the Exchequer under Section 4(1) & 4A of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996. Also included are taxes collected and social welfare recoveries for the years 2011 – 2021 which are remitted to the Exchequer via the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Protection.

Year	Total to Exchequer from Section 4(1) & 4A Proceed of Crime Act	Revenue Collections	Social Welfare Recoveries
2011	€2,734,715.22	€3,804,867.00	€454,037.49
2012	€4,850,540.17	€1,967,925.00	€393,797.00
2013	€1,038,680.52	€5,418,000.00	€287,380.00
2014	€467,152.37	€3,017,000.00	€335,911.00
2015	€1,642,962.29	€2,038,000.00	€185,354.32
2016	€1,412,920.41	€2,106,000.00	€297,430.12
2017	€1,698,721.08	€2,374,000.00	€319,720.31
2018	€2,271,799.92	€3,097,000.00	€302,673.36
2019	€1,559,726.31	€2,206,000.00	€324,055.73
2020	€1,838,507.25	€1,800,000.00	€314,484.60
2021	€5,549,661.95	€4,401,000.00	€364,827.00

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that this information is publicly available in CAB’s Annual Reports. For the Deputy's information the CAB Annual Reports are available to view at the following link:

www.cab.ie/annual-reports/

I am advised by the Bureau that figures for 2022 are not yet available, and will be published as part of the CAB Annual Report for 2022.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (568)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

568. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times that gardaí have been called to incidents involving persons entering or seeking to enter the river Shannon in Limerick city in each of the past five years and to date in 2022. [59013/22]

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. As Minister for Justice, I have no direct role in these matters.

On foot of the Deputy's question, contact was made with An Garda Síochána to seek the specific information sought. I am advised by the Garda authorities that a search of the PULSE system was conducted to identify any crime incident recorded in Henry Street and Roxboro Road Districts, where the incident narrative refers to “River” or “Shannon,” for each of the past five years up to 22 November 2022.

The table below, provided by the Garda authorities, shows the number of incidents recorded on PULSE under the category of ‘Person Misadventure’. This category includes the sub-categories 'Detained under the Mental Health Act', 'Missing Person High Risk', 'Missing Person Medium Risk', 'Missing Person Low Risk', 'Sudden Death', 'Suicide' and 'Suicide (Attempt only)' in Henry Street and Roxboro Districts.

PULSE Category	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	Year to 22 Nov 2022
Person Misadventure	139	87	89	95	83	67

It is worth noting that these figures may not fully reflect all incidents of An Garda Síochána being called to incidents involving a person entering or seeking to enter the River Shannon in Limerick City. Depending on the nature of the call, the incident may have been classified as something other than 'Person Misadventure'.

Figures provided were collated based on PULSE data on 22 November 2022. They are operational and may be liable to change.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (569)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

569. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Justice the number of public order offences reported to gardaí within Kilkenny and Carlow Garda division in 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [59018/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

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.

Figures in respect of public order offences reported to Gardaí in Kilkenny/Carlow Division can be found on the CSO website at the following link:

data.cso.ie/table/CJQ06

However, to be of assistance to the Deputy, the below table extracted from the CSO website, outlines the number of pubic order offences reported to An Garda Síochána in Kilkenny/Carlow Division in 2021 and Q1 and Q2 2022.

Public order and other social code offences	2021	Q1 & Q2 2022
Kilkenny/Carlow Garda Division	842	419

Figures for Q3 and Q4 2022 will be published by the CSO in due course.

Prison Service

Questions (570)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

570. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Justice if a new recruitment campaign for psychologists to join the Irish Prison Service will be launched early in 2023. [59019/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

The role of the Psychology Service in the Irish Prison Service is to deliver, develop and manage an integrated mental health and criminogenic needs assessment and treatment service for people in custody, in line with service plans and objectives, and within established professional standards, guidelines and policy.

I am informed that the Irish Prison Service currently employ various psychologist grades, including Head of Psychological Services, Principal Psychologist Manager, Senior Psychologists (Grade I), Staff Grade Psychologists (Grade II), and Assistant Psychologists.

I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service have informed me that a new Psychologist recruitment campaign has been agreed for May - June 2023.

I can further advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service engaged in a recruitment campaign for psychologists in May 2022. There are currently eight Psychologists from that campaign who are going through clearance and expected to start early in 2023.

To ensure service continuity, the Irish Prison Service actively engage a locum agency on an ongoing basis to fill vacant posts in the short to medium term which arise in between competitions for permanent posts.

In order to keep informed of upcoming opportunities, interested parties should register their details with the Public Appointments Service on www.publicjobs.ie and they should also regularly review the Irish Prison Service website on www.irishprisons.ie

Official Engagements

Questions (571)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

571. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Justice the bilateral meetings she has had with her EU counterparts to date in 2022, in tabular form. [59020/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, notwithstanding any extraordinary meetings that may be held from time to time, there are six Justice and Home Affairs Councils scheduled every year. The Minister for Justice regularly engages with counterparts in the margins of these meetings where brief informal discussions may take place in relation to issues of relevance.

In addition to these informal engagements, the table below outlines the details of all scheduled bilateral meetings between Minister McEntee and her EU counterparts to date in 2022.

8 February 2022	Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs
3 March 2022	Nancy Faeser, German Federal Minister of the Interior
4 March 2022	Marco Buschmann, German Minister for Justice
4 March 2022	Stephie Dracos, Cypriot Minister for Justice and Public Order
25 April 2022	Karoline Edtstadler, Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and the Constitution
11 October 2022	Vera Jourová, European Commission Vice-President
24 November 2022	Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice

Finally, the Deputy may also wish to note that, as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe (May to November 2022), Minister McEntee hosted a major Conference of Ministers from all 46 Council of Europe member states in Dublin on 29/30 September. The Conference “No Safe Haven – Integrated Prevention Measures to End Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence” was well attended at Ministerial level and resulted in the adoption of the “Dublin Declaration on the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence”. The Dublin Declaration is expected to have a significant influence on the future work of the Council of Europe in this important policy field.

Legislative Measures

Questions (572)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

572. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Justice the current status of Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill; and when the Bill will move to the next stage. [59021/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I can inform the Deputy that the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill is currently being drafted and I hope to be in a position to publish it next year.

As the Deputy may be aware the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing recommended the codification of police powers, supported by statutory codes of practice, for the purposes of clarity and transparency.

The Bill will fulfil a commitment in the Programme for Government to modernise and codify the Garda powers of search, arrest and detention.

The main aims of the Bill are to:

- provide a clear and transparent statutory basis for the existing police powers of search, arrest and detention;

- in respect of those powers, place the fundamental and procedural rights of suspected and accused persons on a statutory basis; and

- rationalise and modernise Garda powers to take into account developments in modern technology and best practice in policing.

Prison Service

Questions (573, 574)

Thomas Gould

Question:

573. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice if she will instruct the Irish Prison Service to release the report into the death of a person (details supplied) to the Cork city Coroner. [59042/22]

Thomas Gould

Question:

574. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the process by which a family can gain access to the Inspector's Report into a death in prison. [59043/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 573 and 574 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, since April 2012 all deaths in custody are subject to an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons. Following this investigation, the Inspector of Prisons Office makes recommendations for improvement where appropriate. These recommendations are forwarded to the Prison Service for their attention and the final report is submitted to the Minister for Justice. Finalised reports and any associated Prison Service Action Plan to address recommendations are published in an anonymised form on the Gov.ie website and made available to the Coroner.

The Office of the Inspector of Prisons in conducting their investigations seeks to thoroughly explore and analyse all aspects of the case. As the Deputy will appreciate this process can take time. In addition, as part of this process, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons engages with the next of kin of the person who has died.

I understand that the specific report referred to had yet to be finalised but that it is expected to be transmitted to the Minister in the near future. The Inspector of Prisons will let the family know when the publication of the anonymised report is imminent and as soon as the report is published by the Minister, will provide the family with a copy of the report.

Question No. 574 answered with Question No. 573.

Gambling Sector

Questions (575, 576)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

575. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of applications for certificates of personal fitness from remote operators and terrestrial bookmakers not ordinarily resident in the State made in the past five years, broken down by company name and year in tabular form; the number of successful applicants and the number of those refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59066/22]

Catherine Murphy

Question:

576. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of applications for certificates of personal fitness from remote operators and terrestrial bookmakers who are resident in the State made in the past seven years, broken down by company name and year in tabular form; the number of successful applicants; the number of those refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59067/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 575 and 576 together.

Current legislation providing for online gambling is contained in the Betting (Amendment) Act 2015, which permits the licensing by the Revenue Commissioners of remote bookmakers and betting exchanges. The role of this Department is limited to the processing of certificates of personal fitness (CPFs) for applicants for terrestrial bookmakers who are not ordinarily resident in the state and all remote bookmakers.

The table below details the number of such applications made in the past seven years, the number of CPFs granted, and the number of CPFs refused. The attached document details the names of the companies and individuals and the types of licence they applied for broken down by year, for the Deputy’s information.

Year	No. of Gambling Operators to Apply	CPFs Granted	CPFs Refused
2016	28	37	2
2017	85	122	0
2018	35	44	0
2019	83	165	0
2020	19	34	0
2021	92	168	0
2022	26	31	0

As the Deputy may be 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. In future, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland will take responsibility for the process of issuing licences to gambling operators.

The Gambling Regulation Bill, which will establish the Authority, was approved by Cabinet on 15th of November. There is a pathway mapped for this legislation progressing which will facilitate the Authority being established in 2023. A Programme Board was established 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 of the Bill.

Details

Question No. 576 answered with Question No. 575.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (577)

Thomas Gould

Question:

577. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of new unmarked Garda vans attached to the fleet in 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and the number of unmarked vans withdrawn from the fleet during same period. [59073/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I can assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service. Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which I am informed that €10m has been allocated for investment in the Garda fleet.

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 the purchase, allocation, and effective and efficient use of Garda vehicles. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review to ensure their optimum use in light of identified operational needs and emerging crime trends.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that as of 28 October 2022, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 3,297 vehicles attached to the Garda feet which includes 514 vans. This represents an increase of almost 2% since the end of December 2021 when there were 3,240 vehicles assigned to the Garda fleet nationwide.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the table below sets out the number of unmarked Garda vans allocated to and removed from the Garda fleet in 2021 and 2022.

Unmarked Garda Vans	2021	As at 23 November 2022
ALLOCATED	37	20
REMOVED	4	5

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that An Garda Síochána publish information on Garda fleet, including a Divisional/District monthly breakdown, on their website at:

www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/finance-services/finance-fleet-management.html

An Garda Síochána

Questions (578)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

578. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice if she influenced the decision to rename GSOC the Office of the Police Ombudsman; her views on whether, 100 years after the formation of An Garda Síochána, the decision to delete the word gardaí from the new Ombudsman’s Office is a retrograde step in terms of heritage and the Irish language. [59081/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill which was approved by Government on 22 November 2022 provides for the substantial reform of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission having regard to the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI).

As part of that reform the Ombudsman Commission is to be renamed Oifig an Ombudsman don Phóilíniú, or in the English language, Office of the Police Ombudsman to reinforce its independence from An Garda Síochána.

In particular, as identified by CoFPI, and supported by research undertaken by the Ombudsman Commission itself, the current name of the Commission by incorporating “Garda Síochána” presents a difficulty as some members of the public assume it is part of An Garda Síochána. This misconception creates challenges in engendering understanding of the Ombudsman Commission’s work. This concern was also raised by a number of stakeholders in the course of the pre-legislative scrutiny process undertaken by the Joint Committee on Justice on the General Scheme of the Bill.

As the body that is charged with independently investigating complaints from the public, it is important that the name of the body clearly conveys its independence from the body that it is overseeing, namely An Garda Síochána.

With regard to the importance of the Irish language, the Deputy may wish to note that the Bill gives primacy to the Irish language when naming the various bodies provided for under the Bill.