Written Answers Nos. 543-555
543. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice the amount paid by his Department to external legal teams, HR specialists, accountancy firms and consultants in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26236/23]
View answerIt has not been possible to collate the information requested in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly when the information is to hand.
544. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice his plans to collate comprehensive data on deaths in custody. [26287/23]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that all deaths in custody are treated very seriously. The Irish Prison Service notify all deaths in their custody to An Garda Síochána, who investigate as appropriate, in addition to the inquest held in the Coroner's Court.
All deaths in custody as well as any that occur within one month of temporary release from prison service custody are also subject to an independent investigation by the Office of the Inspector of Prisons.
Following an investigation, the Inspector of Prisons makes recommendations where appropriate. These recommendations are considered and responded to by the Irish Prison Service and the final report is submitted to the Minister for Justice. Finalised reports and any associated Prison Service Action Plan to address recommendations made are published in an anonymised form on the Gov.ie website and made available to the Coroner.
The Irish 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 and 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.
As the Deputy may be aware, under subsection 102(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner shall refer to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission any matter that appears to the Garda Commissioner to indicate that the conduct of a member of An Garda Síochána may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, a person. Under subsection 102(2) of the Act, the Ombudsman Commission shall ensure that any matter referred to the Commission under subsection (1) is investigated.
It should be noted that An Garda Síochána must determine if the threshold has been reached to refer an incident to GSOC under Section 102. This determination is an operational matter for the Commissioner and neither I, as Minister, nor GSOC has any role in this independent decision making process.
I am informed that it has been the practice of GSOC in its annual reporting to provide overviews of the circumstances that led to any Section 102 referrals in a given reporting year, including the proportion of referrals that arose from deaths. GSOC currently record details of the subset of deaths in custody which are referred to them for investigation by AGS.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is the independent statutory body established under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) to investigate complaints against members of An Garda Síochána. As Minister, I have no role in the investigative functions of GSOC.
An Garda Síochána also provide figures for deaths in custody to the Policing Authority on a monthly basis.
As the Deputy will be aware, the General Scheme of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill was published in June 2022. The Bill will expand the statutory basis for the current Inspector of Prisons and provide for the new Chief Inspector of Places of Detention to be designated as the National Preventive Mechanism for places of detention in the criminal justice system.
The Bill will place the Chief Inspector’s role in investigating deaths in custody on a statutory footing. The Bill completed pre-legislative scrutiny and the Report of the Justice Committee was published in March 2023. The Bill is currently being drafted.
545. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the steps taken by the Government to ascertain if an asylum seeker has purposefully lost their passport or travel documents; if the aeroplane is searched for travel documents; if the asylum seeker is searched along with their luggage for the travel documents; if fingerprints are taken; and if so, if these fingerprints are cross-referenced against fingerprints taken by other EU member states that are processing asylum seekers. [26288/23]
View answerThe Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department has responsibility for front-line immigration duties at Dublin Airport only. Other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).
Immigration officials conduct passport checks, and run operations as required, to ensure passengers arriving in the State are properly documented in accordance with Section 11 of the Immigration Act 2004. In addition to this, and in accordance with Section 7 of the Immigration Act 2004, a non-national and their belongings may be searched by an Immigration Officer to ascertain if they are carrying any documents.
For security reasons and to protect the integrity of the immigration system, both I and my Department do not comment on operational procedures of the Border Management Unit or the Garda National Immigration Bureau. However, I can assure the Deputy that the GNIB and the BMU are actively engaging with airport authorities and airlines at a senior level to underscore the importance of passengers possessing correct documentation and to provide support in helping them to reduce the number of passengers boarding flights without the correct documentation.
If a person cannot produce a valid passport, or other equivalent document, then the Immigration Officer will arrange for the person to be referred to the Garda National Immigration Bureau for return on the next practicable flight.
If a person indicates or is identified as being in need of international protection they are admitted to the international protection process in line with our international human rights and legal obligations. The vast majority of those who arrived into the State undocumented applied for international protection.
At the commencement of the international protection process, each applicant has their fingerprints checked against the Eurodac system which allows officials to establish if the applicant has previously applied for international protection in another Member State.
546. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice if the State knows the whereabouts of all asylum seekers in Ireland; if so, the number of asylum seekers who are missing; and the number of these who are children. [26289/23]
View answerApplicants for international protection are required to cooperate with the international protection process. This includes ensuring their Temporary Residence Card is in date and their address is up to date with the International Protection Office (IPO). It is the case that some applicants leave the State without notifying the International Protection Office and choose not to continue with their application.
The International Protection Office (IPO) will write to applicants who are not cooperating with the process at their last known address giving them the opportunity to cooperate. This may include applications involving family groups including children. The IPO copies this letter to their legal representative where known. In the event an applicant does not respond, i.e., continues not cooperating with the process, the IPO will proceed to make a recommendation, up to and including a Deportation Order, on their application based on the information available to it.
While the above arrangements may include applications involving family groups including children, arrangements regarding unaccompanied minors seeking international protection are overseen by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla).
547. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the members of the public that were involved in the survey in relation to the first major public consultation into the impact of deer, that is, gun clubs, farming groups and so on; the research that has been carried out into non-lethal deer population control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25616/23]
View answer548. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 536 of 16 May 2023, if he will outline the person or body that will be the stakeholders in the ‘stakeholder working groups to develop recommendations to managing the deer population effectively’. [25617/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 547 and 548 together.
As the Deputy is aware, policy responsibility for deer and other wildlife resides with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) , within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
I am aware of the importance of the sustainable management of our national deer population for agriculture, forestry as well as overall biodiversity within nature ecosystems. In order to address this the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and I convened the Deer Management Strategy group last Autumn, under the Chairmanship of Mr. Teddy Cashman. On foot of a recommendation of the strategy group an open public consultation on the management of deer was launched late last year by myself and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
This was the first major public consultation into the impact of deer and it received over 1,500 submissions from all over the country and all walks of life. Respondents were asked to categorise themselves as follows;
Individual rural (35.2%),
Individual urban / suburban (16.7%),
Farmer (14.6%),
Landowner (13.1%),
Other (8.2%),
Forester (4.2%),
Ecologist (2.8%),
Academic (1.2%),
NGOs (1%),
Public body (0.9%),
Farm representative organisations (0.8%),
Trade body / membership organisation (0.7%),
Research organisation (0.2%) and
Local authority (0.2%).
The role of the Deer Management strategy group is to develop a strategy for sustainable management of the national deer population. It does not include a research mandate and is not conducting research on specific population control methods.
The next phase in the process is the development of a series of recommendations with five sub-committees under the following headings.
• Legislation,
• Venison,
• Collaboration / Groups,
• Training / Education,
• Solutions for land management.
Stakeholders participating in these subcommittees include representatives of deer hunting and conservation groups, venison processing and marketing representative groups, farm representative organisations, forestry organisations, Coillte, Wicklow Uplands Council, the Wicklow Uplands Council, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and my department.
549. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the research project “A Socio-Economic Study of Seaweed Harvesting in Ireland to Support Marine Spatial Planning”; if the research has concluded to date; the timeline for the publication of the final report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25620/23]
View answerThe project, “A Socio-Economic Study of Seaweed Harvesting in Ireland to Support Marine Spatial Planning”, was funded by my Department’s EMFF Seafood Development Programme under the Blue Growth & Marine Spatial Planning Scheme. The aim of this scheme was to provide technical and scientific support for the development of a Marine Spatial Plan for Ireland.
This study was contracted by the Marine Institute and led by Munster Technological University, starting in December 2020 and completing in August 2022. It was a desktop study and survey of seaweed harvesters, growers and businesses or organisations within the seaweed sector. The survey results were used to map and assess the value the seaweed supply chain and to create an industry directory. The researchers also identified best practice recommendations for seaweed resource management. Following completion of the project, the authors received additional constructive feedback from the project steering committee and addressed these comments earlier this year. The Marine Institute received the final report in April 2023 and is expected to publish it in June.
This is one of a significant number projects which have been funded under the EMFF Seafood Development Programme, which provide valuable insights into the sustainable development of our marine resources and identifies opportunities for economic growth for our coastal communities. In December, I announced the adoption of the Seafood Development Programme’s successor programme under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund 2021-2027, for which I secured additional funding of up to €258 million. The new programme will ensure continued support for research projects and for a diverse range of activities in the marine sphere.
550. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork is not able to progress their BISS application due to DAFM online issues after sending successive emails on 19 April, 4 May and 18 May 2023, the latter two of which have not received any reply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25566/23]
View answerMy Department made contact with the applicant a number of times in relation to the above issue and it has been resolved. The applicant submitted his application on 26th May via the online application system, with assistance from the Department.
551. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a suckler cow application (details supplied) in County Cork has been successfully submitted given the circumstances. [25567/23]
View answerAn application to participate in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) has been received from the person named. My Department has been in direct contact with him and his advisor, and they have been advised on what they need to do now to resolve this matter.
552. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to e-correspondence from this Deputy; and if he will provide an update on the suggestion contained in the response from the Deputy in respect of the engagement of an independent review of the person’s case (details supplied). [25635/23]
View answerI inform the Deputy that the correspondence which was forwarded, on her behalf, to my Office on 10th May was responded to on 23rd May 2023. That response sets out the up to date position on the matters raised.
553. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there is co-equivalence in organic certification standards between Ireland and Britain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25670/23]
View answerThe Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), which entered into force on 1st May 2021, establishes a reciprocal recognition of equivalence of the current organic legislation and control system of both parties to that agreement.
The co-equivalence for certification standards is applicable to products that are unprocessed agricultural or aquaculture products produced in the United Kingdom or processed agricultural products for use as food or feed that have been processed in the United Kingdom with ingredients that have been grown in the United Kingdom or that have been imported into the United Kingdom in accordance with United Kingdom laws and regulations.
An exception to the above is currently in place and relates to organic feed for pigs and poultry from Northern Ireland. Some 95% organic feed for pigs and poultry is allowed of all age, is currently in place for a maximum of 12 months, from 24th February 2023 until 23rd February 2024. This exception is not allowed in the EU.
The TCA will be reassessed at the end of this year taking into account the new EU rules for organic production which came into force on 1st January 2022.
554. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of flour imported from Britain, separately organic and non-organic, in each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25671/23]
View answerThe Trade Control and Export System (TRACES) is the European Commission's online platform for sanitary and phytosanitary certification required for the importation of animals, animal products, food and feed of non-animal origin and plants into the European Union, and the intra-EU trade and EU exports of animals and certain animal products. The importation of organic flour is tracked through TRACES as organic produce requires a Certificate of Inspection (COI) .
Figures are currently available for 2023, 2022 and 2021 with country of Origin as UK only.
Data on Organic flour is available from 2021 to date as from the 1st January 2021, the Certificate of Inspection on TRACES was issued for each import from Great Britain into the EU, and presented to the competent authority before custom clearance.
Prior to Brexit, the UK applied the rules of the Single Market and the Customs Unions and therefore no Certificate of Inspection was required.
|
Year |
Tonnage of Organic flour Imported |
|
2023 |
559 |
|
2022 |
112 |
|
2021 |
453 |
My Department cannot determine the exact amount of non-organic flour imported during this period as there is no requirement for the trader to register non-organic flour on the TRACES system.
555. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his proposals to increase the promotion of Irish organic flour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25672/23]
View answerBord Bia is the state agency responsible for the marketing of Irish organic produce and are currently building on their activities in the organic sector through targeted development and promotional activity.
On 22nd May 2023, my colleague Minister of State Pippa Hackett announced that €1 million Brexit Adjustment Reserve funding has been allocated to promote and develop the growing Irish organic sector. The Department has been working in partnership with Bord Bia and will continue to identify further opportunities for Irish farmers and processors to grow their organic presence and increase market share through this funding.
There will be a national consumer campaign launched in Autumn 2023 which will promote Irish organic food, drink and horticulture to domestic consumers. All organic categories will be supported and the purpose of the campaign will be to inform Irish consumers that Ireland is on a journey in organic production and there will be more Irish organic food available in the months and years to come.
Bord Bia has a suite of supports and services, including marketing assistance programme grants, that can be accessed by client companies to support their growth ambitions.
The financial supports of the Organic Processors Investment Grant (OPIG) which is worth €1.7mn announced last week and the supports under the Organic Farming Scheme can increase the level of cereal production in Ireland and develop the processing capacity to satisfy demand for organic flour in Ireland.
