Written Answers Nos. 91-96
91. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice how many applications to the community-based CCTV grant scheme have been successful to date; and if the scheme will be continued beyond 2023. [33819/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, since 2017, my Department has administered a grant aid scheme supporting groups wishing to establish a community-based CCTV system in their area.
To date, there have been 35 successful applications to the community-based CCTV grant scheme with grants totalling €948,649.16 awarded. It is envisaged that the scheme will continue beyond 2023, as the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022 which will reform CCTV schemes, is currently before the Oireachtas.
The Community-based CCTV scheme is currently governed by section 38(3)(c) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Síochána (CCTV) Order 2006 (SI 289 of 2006), GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
This legal framework requires that any proposed community CCTV scheme must:
• be approved by the local Joint Policing Committee,
• have a data protection impact assessment prepared,
• have the prior support of the relevant local authority, which must act as a joint data controller with An Garda Síochána and a joint data controller agreement must be put in place,
• have the authorisation of the Garda Commissioner.
Under the new Bill, community groups will be able to request schemes in their area. It is envisaged the Local Community Safety Partnerships being established under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill, will be the appropriate avenue to do so, given that local residents, Local Authority staff, Councillors and members of An Garda Síochána will all be represented on the partnerships.
The Local Authorities will take the lead and make the applications going forward and have full responsibility for the implementation and management of the data protection aspects of having a scheme in place.
I can inform the Deputy that the current scheme is still open for applications and the necessary funding is in place.
92. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice the number of designated community gardaí in Ballincollig for 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33992/23]
View answerCommunity policing is fundamental to the new Garda Operating Model recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and currently being rolled out under 'A Policing Service for Our Future', the Government's implementation plan for the Commission's recommendations.
I want to emphasise that community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána, and that all Gardaí have a role to play in community policing in the course of carrying out their duties.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including the distribution of Garda members between the different Garda units and Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.
I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review to ensure their optimal use.
The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda Síochána is central to this policy. Funding has been provided for up to 1,000 new Gardaí this year and we are seeing more Garda recruits enter Templemore every 11 weeks.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that a member of An Garda Síochána can be deemed to be a ‘Community Garda’ where that member is allocated to a Community Policing Team (CPT) and is responsible and accountable for applying a problem–solving approach to appropriate crime and policing quality of life issues in a specified geographic area through partnership and engagement.
I am also advised that in some rural areas, the existing personnel will form CPTs. They will have dual functions as first responders and community policing members. Additionally, CPTs will be augmented by Community Support Gardaí who will perform frontline duties and will be assigned a particular Community Policing Area to support dedicated Community Gardaí.
I understand that each Division will have a number of CPTs assigned to it, consisting of an Inspector, Sergeant and Community Policing Gardaí. CPTs will prioritise engagement with communities for the delivery of long-term sustainable solutions to community needs.
I can inform the Deputy that at the end of May 2023, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 36 Community Gardaí assigned to Cork City Division which represents an increase of 50% since end December 2018. I am further advised by the Garda authorities that as of 31 May there are 2 Community Gardaí assigned to Ballincollig Garda station. This number has remained the same throughout 2023. Please note the figures provided are operational and may be subject to change.
In the interest of transparency, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on gov.ie and are updated regularly by my Department from information provided by An Garda Síochána. The statistics can be accessed using the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/.
93. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice the progress being made in advancing the new policing model for Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33991/23]
View answerThe Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities. Everyone, no matter where in the country they live, deserves to be safe and to feel safe. This is central to the Government’s community safety policy.As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business and he determines the distribution of Gardaí throughout the State. I do not have a role in these matters. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI) recognised that community safety is not solely the responsibility of the Gardaí, or my Department, but rather, it is a whole of Government responsibility.The Deputy may be aware that a number of actions are in progress under 'A Policing Service For Our Future', the Government's implementation plan for the recommendations of the CoFPI report.
This includes the Garda Commissioner's roll out of the new Garda Operating model, which seeks to release front-line Gardaí from roles that can be effectively carried out by civilian Garda staff. The purpose of the new operating model is to increase Garda visibility, community engagement and the deployment of specialist services throughout the country, and seeks to reflect and address the realities of modern-day policing.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that, under the Operating Model, the current Cork North and Cork West Divisions will amalgamate in the future to form the Cork County Division.
Planning for the implementation of the Operating Model is progressing for the Cork County Division and precise dates will be agreed with the division in the coming months subject to their readiness to proceed.
Under the new Model, each Division (including the new Cork County Division) will be comprised of the four following Functional Areas:
• Community Engagement under the leadership of a Superintendent
• Crime under the leadership of a Detective Superintendent
• Performance Assurance under the leadership of a Superintendent
• Business Services under the leadership of an Assistant Principal (Garda Staff)
Implementation of the Operating Model in the Cork County Division will initially focus on establishing the Business Services Functional Area which will reduce the amount of administrative activities held by Garda members at present in the Division. In addition, planning permission for the new Divisional Headquarters for Cork County Division based in Macroom, Co Cork has been granted and the station has been decoupled from the PPP bundle to allow the project to progress faster.
Separately, the Cork City Division established each of the Functional Areas under the Operating Model listed above on 7 August 2022.
94. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice what actions are being taken by her Department to continue to improve the Irish citizenship by naturalisation application process for applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34036/23]
View answerI am deeply conscious of how important the granting of naturalisation is to all of those who apply for it. My Department is aware that delays in processing times are frustrating and disruptive for applicants, and we are working hard to improve the position.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
There are however significant changes underway as the Division examines how it can become more efficient. One of the improvements that has become visible recently has been the reduction in wait times for files to be registered. Last year it took on average about 7 months for a file to be acknowledged. This year it is done in a matter of weeks. A related improvement is that Garda vetting is now carried out earlier in the naturalisation process to help improve processing efficiency.
To ensure older files are also progressing under the new system my Department has recently written to 13,000 applicants with electronic links to commence eVetting. When the vetting is complete, and if any additional information is not awaited from an applicant, the file will be progressed towards naturalisation.
The median processing time for applications currently stands at 19 months. The number of applications currently at hand at the end of June is 31,610, of which approximately 10,000 were received in the first six months of this year.
To date in 2023, 6,061 naturalisation certificates have already issued and I can further advise the Deputy that approximately 8,700 of the applications on hand have in fact received a positive decision and are now in the process of making their final payment and/or being scheduled to attend the next citizenship ceremony.
There are ongoing developments and improvements being made to the citizenship application process to help make it more efficient and reduce the amount of time it takes. Significant reforms have been introduced for customers to streamline the number of proofs required to establish their identity and residency as part of the application process. A new scorecard was also introduced to help applicants to complete their applications, and a new eVetting mechanism has been put in place.
Finally, I can advise the Deputy that the Citizenship Division of my Department intends to regularly communicate with all applicants on a quarterly basis into the future, to keep them updated on the status of their application.
95. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice in regards to the Communications (Retention of Data) (Amendment) Act 2022 and the fact that the European Commission had previously deemed it potentially "inapplicable and unenforceable" due to the Government's failure to put it through the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS), if she can outline what has changed since then; what further communication she has had with the European Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33472/23]
View answerAt the outset, I must inform the Deputy that prior to commencement my Department did notify the Communications (Retention of Data) (Amendment) Act 2022 to the Technical Regulation Information System process in December 2022. This was done on a ‘without prejudice’ basis, as Ireland was of the view that this was not legally required.
The notification period elapsed in March of this year, without comment or opinion from either the EU Commission or other Member States on the Act. Accordingly, Ireland was free to commence the Act and I signed a commencement order on 6 June last, with an operative date of 26 June.
I can confirm to the Deputy that no further communication was received from the Commission on this matter after the notification period elapsed.
96. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice the actions she will take, following the ‘Summary of the Inspection on Education and Work Training April-June 2022’ in our prisons completed by the Inspector of Prisons, to ensure that the key issues on work training highlighted in the summary will be addressed; when she expects that these issues will no longer be highlighted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33962/23]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service has developed an Action Plan in response to the Office of the Inspector of Prisons “Thematic Inspection on Education & Work Training, April – June 2022 report”. The Action Plan outlines a summary of actions proposed by the Irish Prison Service to address recommendations made by the Inspectorate. Both the Office of Inspector of Prisons “Thematic Inspection on Education & Work Training, April – June 2022 report” and the Irish Prison Service Action Plan have been published and are available on Gov.ie
A key recommendation in the Office of the Inspector of Prisons Report was the need for a more strategic approach to education and work/training to facilitate rehabilitation. I can advise the Deputy that the Prison Education Taskforce was established on 23 May 2023 and is jointly chaired by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris and the Minister of State with responsibility for Law Reform in the Department of Justice, James Browne. The aim of the Taskforce is to ensure improvements in the work and training area and greater alignment between prison education and the tertiary education system to support prisoners in benefiting from education and training opportunities while in custody to support their rehabilitation and access to employment post-release.
The Prison Education Taskforce Workplan strategic objectives include;
• enhancing the understanding of the education, training needs of the prison population, strengthening information and reporting on education and training delivered in prisons,
• realising the potential for greater alignment across the prison education and training services and tertiary provision to ensure labour market readiness for prisoners on release,
• deepening and intensifying existing partnerships between the prison education and the tertiary education system,
• ensuring the role of education and training system in supporting transition of prisoners out of the prison system is maximised to reduce recidivism risk,
• supporting Open University provision and other Higher Education linkages and to explore potential for educational programmes for family members of prisoners.
Another key recommendation made by the Inspector was the need for improvement of access to education and work and training services. I am advised by the Irish Prison Service, a key challenge for the Irish Prison Service is to ensure that prisoners have regular and consistent access to the Prison Education Centre and Work and Training programmes. The loss of a substantial number of staff on a daily basis to cover court escort activity and hospital in-patient and out-patient appointments can have an adverse impact on the opening of schools and work and training programmes. Additionally Increases in the prison population have also contributed to an increase in escorts and increase demands on staff.
In order to minimise impact on services, the Prison Service is committed to strengthening the numbers of staff assigned to the Prison Service Escort Corps to limit the burden on prison based staff being reassigned to escorting duties. Under Budget 2023, a €6.5m additional staffing package was secured for the Prison Service to provide for additional staff recruitment to support rehabilitation and training. Pending the recruitment of additional staff and with effect from September 2022, additional hours were and will continue to be made available at prison level to support improvements in opening hours and access to services including education services.
A number of vacancies have been filled for Work and Training grades, further competitions are scheduled for Q3 2023.
I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service negotiated the inclusion in the Public Service Agreement: Building Momentum 2021 – 2022 the ability to directly recruit Work Training Officers. The Irish Prison Service are committed to progressing this external recruitment and have been engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in this regard.
Balancing the demands for “digital literacy” among prisoners with security constraints is an ongoing challenge for the Irish Prison Service. The Irish Prison Service continues to work with the Education and Training Boards and other Prisoner Services to make greater use of in-cell learning opportunities. Embracing technology and providing a blended approach to learning increases the ability of teachers and Work and Training Officers to extend education and training provision to students, especially to those on restricted prison regimes or confined to cell due to, for example, infection control measures.
