Written Answers Nos. 863-877
863. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the number of unauthorised taking of mechanically propelled vehicle offences reported to gardaí within the Meath division in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [36519/23]
View answerAs 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 the unauthorised taking of mechanically propelled vehicle offences reported to Gardaí in Meath can be found on the CSO website by category (theft/taking of vehicle and related offences), Division & year. Link provided below.
data.cso.ie/table/CJA07
864. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice If she has received the 2022 annual report from the Private Security Authority; and when same will be published online. [36520/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Private Security Authority (PSA), an independent body under the aegis of my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for licensing and regulating the private security industry in Ireland.
Under Section 16 of the Private Security Services Act 2004, the Private Security Authority is required to provide me with a copy of their Annual Report for the preceding year no later than 30 September each year.
I have not yet received the Private Security Authority Annual Report for 2022 but once received I will make arrangements for its publication in due course.
865. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice if, in light of her plan to review the legal aid system, she will consider increasing the threshold in terms of eligibility for people to avail of legal aid particularly for family law cases. [36559/23]
View answerIn its over forty years of operation, the Civil Legal Aid Scheme has been a significant and beneficial public service, providing legal aid and advice to people of limited means in civil disputes, including family law.
However, since the Scheme was set up, Irish society has changed, and the demands of the service have grown. In order to meet the needs of those it was established to serve, within the finite resources available to fund legal aid, a comprehensive review of the Scheme is now under way. This review will include consideration of eligibility limits.
In June 2022, I established the Civil Legal Aid Review Group to review the current operation of the Civil Legal Aid Scheme and make recommendations for its future. The Review Group is being chaired by former Chief Justice, Mr Frank Clarke. The membership of the group is drawn from legal practitioners, academics, Department officials, those who work with marginalised groups, and representatives from the Legal Aid Board, which administers the statutory scheme.
As part of the review, a comprehensive multi-phased process of consultation has been conducted to ensure that as wide a range of views as possible is captured.
The results of all elements of the consultation are now being carefully considered by the Review Group. The Group is also examining how legal needs are met in other jurisdictions. The work of the Group is ongoing, with a report expected later this year.
The financial eligibility threshold for the Civil Legal Aid Scheme was last revised for income in 2006 and for capital assets in 2013. The current review will allow for an assessment of how flexible and responsive the Scheme is to the needs of those it is intended to serve, including in relation to financial eligibility.
I can, however, further advise the Deputy that my officials are also working with the Legal Aid Board to examine whether there are steps might feasibly be taken with respect to eligibility in the short-term pending the outcome of the wider review.
866. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí attached to each Garda station for the years 2021, 2022, and currently assigned to each station, in tabular form. [36561/23]
View answerI can assure the Deputy the Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and the 2023 budget of over €2 billion will allow for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff with Garda recruits entering Templemore every 11 weeks.
Overall, since 2015 there has been an almost 9% net increase in the number of Gardaí. These Gardaí are supported by around 3,130 Garda staff, which is over 50% more than the number of staff in 2015. This increases the availability of Gardaí to concentrate on frontline policing duties.
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 distribution of Garda members between the various Garda stations. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I am however assured by the Commissioner that this distribution is kept under review in light of emerging crime trends and policing needs.
The tables appended to this answer give the number of Garda members by rank in each Garda division and station, as of December 2021 and 2022, and June 30 of this year, the latest date for which figures are available.
The Deputy will wish to be aware that these and other figures are published on my Department's website, and updated monthly.
867. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide details of the number of domestic violence refuge spaces in each county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36680/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Government will establish a new statutory agency with a dedicated focus on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, which will be up and running in January 2024.
The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue.
Pending establishment of the Agency, responsibility for DSGBV services continues to be channeled through Tusla.
I have referred the question posed by the Deputy to Tusla for direct reply.
868. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice for a status update on the delivery of priority refuge units under the Third National Strategy; the details, by local authority area, of the progress made to date regarding site identification and site ownership for the additional units, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36681/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware the Government will establish a statutory agency with a dedicated focus on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue. Pending establishment of the Agency, responsibility for domestic violence refuges continues to be managed by Tusla.
As this will continue to be the case until services formally transfer to the new DSGBV agency, I have referred the question posed by the Deputy to Tusla for direct reply.
869. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Justice if his Department, and all agencies under the remit of his Department, have their telephone contact details on their websites and on other media platforms; if all stationery and headed notepaper used in correspondence with the public contain relevant phone contact details, taking into account that everybody is not in a position to correspond by e-mail; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36700/23]
View answer|
- |
- |
Justice Agencies and Availability of Telephone Contact Details |
|
Agency |
Website and other media platforms |
Stationery and headed notepaper |
|
An Garda Síochána |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Criminal Assets Bureau |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Courts Service |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Data Protection Commission |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Forensic Science Ireland |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Garda Síochána Inspectorate |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Insolvency Service of Ireland |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Irish Prison Service |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Judicial Council |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Legal Aid Board |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Legal Services Regulatory Authority |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Office of the Inspector of Prisons |
Yes |
No |
|
Office of the State Pathologist |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Parole Board |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Policing Authority |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Private Security Authority |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Probation Service |
Yes |
Yes |
It has not been possible to collate complete information as requested by the Deputy in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy directly when the information is to hand.
870. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Justice the amount of revenue generated through the release of vehicles seized by gardaí under road traffic legislation in 2021, 2022 and to-date in 2023, in tabular form. [36707/23]
View answerI 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.
871. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice how many people were recruited into An Garda Síochána in the first six months of 2023. [36718/23]
View answer872. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the total estimated number of persons who will be recruited into An Garda Síochána in 2023. [36719/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 871 and 872 together.
The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and the 2023 budget of over €2 billion will allow for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff with recruits entering Templemore every 11 weeks. I can confirm that there are currently 370 recruits in the Garda College in Templemore.
As the Deputy is aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible by law for the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. The early stages of the recruitment process are managed by the independent Public Appointments Service on behalf of the Garda Commissioner.
We are now in a period of sustained Garda recruitment, both of Garda members and Garda staff – increasing the number of Gardaí on duty and allowing for the redeployment of more Gardaí to frontline policing duties. The number of recruits have continued to grow in each intake following the re-opening of college after Covid-19, with 92 recruits entered the training college in late November, 135 in February and another 154 in May. Another intake will enter the college at the end of July and we will have over 450 Garda recruits in training.
An Garda Síochána is prepared to take in a new class every 11 weeks for the remainder of the year, as provided for in their budget, and I will also be Templemore every three months for graduations every three months. 24 Probationer Gardaí attested from the Garda College in January of this year, and the first intake from the 2022 recruitment campaign are due to attest at the end of July.
Overall, since 2015 there has been an almost 9% net increase in the number of Gardaí, and this sustained progress will be maintained through An Garda Síochána’s continued recruitment, supported by the Government’s funding. These Gardaí are supported by around 3,130 Garda staff, which is over 50% more than the number of staff in 2015. This increases the availability of Gardaí to concentrate on frontline policing duties.
Almost 5,000 people applied to join An Garda Síochána in this year’s recruitment campaign. This is in line with the last pre-Covid campaign in 2019, which shows demand to join An Garda Síochána is as strong as ever. This campaign, which closed on 14 April, will provide a stream of candidates for future intakes.
The initial stage of the application process for this year’s campaign differed to the 2022 campaign with all applicants filling out an application in the first instance, rather than just declaring an interest. This gives a clearer idea of how many people are fully committed to applying this year.
I can assure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to reaching its current targets of 15,000 Gardaí and 4,000 Garda staff and I will be engaging with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, over the coming months, to secure the resources in 2024 to ensure that we continue to make progress towards those targets.
873. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Justice if there are detailed guidelines for completion of applications for the atypical working scheme; if she will provide the links for same; and if she will provide an update on six applications (details supplied). [36813/23]
View answerI am advised by the Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) Unit that the applications referred to by the Deputy continue to be processed and a decision is expected to issue in the coming weeks.
Ireland’s Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill short term labour gaps for the benefit of our economy. In recognition of the importance of frontline medical personnel, the AWS Unit prioritises these applications.
There has been an unprecedented demand for AWS permissions this year, with a significant increase in the number of applications for healthcare workers. Additional resources have recently been added to manage the Scheme and reduce waiting times.
The number of applications received in the first six months of this year is 5,376. This represents an increase of 65% of applications that were received in the same period of last year. The number of decisions that have been processed year to date in 2023 by the AWS Unit has doubled when compared to same period in 2022.
My Department is working to reduce processing times through the modernisation of our systems and the introduction of efficiencies, as well as additional streamlining measures which should also reduce processing times for AWS applications.
Further information and guidelines for how to complete applications for the AWS can be found here: www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-work-in-ireland/what-are-my-work-visa-options/applying-for-a-long-stay-employment-visa/atypical-working-scheme/
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
874. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice when the community safety partnership pilots will commence in Dublin north inner city local electoral area, Waterford City and County Council and Longford; and the reason for the delay in commencing these pilots. [36827/23]
View answerCommunity safety is not just about the number of Gardaí in communities. Community safety is a whole of Government responsibility and it requires a multi-agency approach.
The Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill will place statutory obligations on Departments and other public service bodies to cooperate with each other to improve community safety. It also establishes national structures to provide strategic direction and ensure that collaboration is working, and establishes Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) which will replace existing Joint Policing Committees.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the three pilot LCSPs in Dublin’s North Inner City, Waterford, and Longford, commenced in 2021. The partnerships are made up of:
• community representatives, including residents, youth representatives, members of new and minority communities, local activists, local businesses, and representatives of schools;
• public sector representatives, i.e. local statutory services such as the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána, and the local authority; and
• local councillors.
The pilot LCSPs are undergoing an independent evaluation to ensure that, when established nationally, the LCSPs will be designed and supported to help communities prioritise issues raised by its members as safety concerns.
A baseline and mid-term evaluation have been completed and data collection is currently underway for the final evaluation of the pilots which is due to be completed by the end of 2023, ahead of the nationwide LCSP rollout as part of the implementation of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill.
875. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice her plans to clear the backlog in processing citizenship applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36832/23]
View answerI am deeply conscious of how important the granting of naturalisation is to all of those who apply for it. The Department is aware that delays in processing times are frustrating and disruptive for applicants, and 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.
The median processing time for applications currently stands at 19 months. The number of applications currently on 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 the end of June 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.
Significant changes are underway within the naturalisation process as the Citizenship 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, Citizenship Division wrote to 13,000 applicants in May with electronic links to commence eVetting. When the vetting is complete, and any additional information is not awaited from an applicant, the file will be progressed towards naturalisation.
Finally, the Citizenship Division intends to regularly communicate with all applicants on a more regular basis into the future, to keep them updated on the status of their application.
876. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Justice the cost of providing free legal aid in criminal cases over each of the past five years, by county; the average cost per alleged offender; the total payment to legal practitioners; the average payment to legal practitioners, over the same period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36941/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962, is the primary legislation covering the operation of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and gives effect to the Constitutional right that legal aid may be granted for the defence of persons of insufficient means in criminal proceedings.
It is not possible to provide data by County, number of offenders, category or conviction rates for any of the requested years, as figures are not kept in such a way as to be able to provide such a breakdown.
However, expenditure data is available and the costs for the main Criminal Legal Aid Scheme for each of the years 2018 to 2023 (to end May) was as follows:
|
Year |
Expenditure |
|
2018 |
€64.8 million |
|
2019 |
€65.1 million |
|
2020 |
€62.2 million |
|
2021 |
€73.4 million |
|
2022 |
€76.4 million |
|
2023 |
€36.3 million (end of May) |
|
Payments to legal practitioners for each of the years 2018 to 2022 was as follows: |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Solicitors |
32.8M |
34.4M |
32.2M |
40.2M |
40M |
|
Counsel |
24.4M |
23.1M |
23.3M |
27.9M |
28.9M |
The balance between overall expenditure and expenditure to the legal professionals is typically in the region of €7.5 million and comprises expenditure on technical experts, expert witnesses, translation and interpretation costs.
877. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 407 of 5 May 2022, when the review of the immigrant investment programme, delivered to her Department in November 2020, will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36943/23]
View answerThe report to which the Deputy refers was published on 28 June 2023. It is available on my Department's Immigration Service website: www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-live-in-ireland/i-want-to-invest-in-ireland/
The report made a number of recommendations concerning the governance of the IIP and noted the continuing benefits brought by the scheme. Since then the profile and scale of the applications has continued to evolve, as has the broader international context in which schemes of this type and the risks associated with them are assessed.
When the decision to close the IIP Programme was taken, findings from this report, as well as those from international bodies such as the EU Commission, Council of Europe and OECD on similar investment programmes were taken into account.
