Written Answers Nos. 364-375
364. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice if a person (details supplied) has ever been considered by her Department for repatriation due to their previous criminal convictions in another EU Member State. [50702/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, it is not the practice to comment publicly on individual cases.
365. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown, in tabular form, of the number of speeding fines issues monthly over the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50703/23]
View answer366. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for a breakdown, in tabular form, of the total value of speeding fines paid, by month, over the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50704/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 365 and 366 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, including the enforcement of road traffic legislation. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
Road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of members of An Garda Síochána, as well as through a programme of high-visibility road safety and enforcement operations, carried out in partnership with other State agencies, including Government Departments, the Road Safety Authority, the National Roads Authority, and the community, in order to make our roads safer for all.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the figures requested by the Deputy are not maintained in the format requested and that to compile this information would involve a disproportionate expenditure of Garda resources.
367. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice the status of the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022; when she expects to publish the Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50724/23]
View answerFollowing extensive consultation with representative bodies in the licensed trade, businesses, public health bodies, consumers and communities, the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill was published on 25 October 2022. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice conducted two pre-legislative scrutiny sessions on the draft legislation, and the Committee’s report was published on 2 March 2023.
While work on this Bill is progressing, it is my intention to bring forward, in the coming months, a shorter Bill to provide for key reforms including the standardisation of opening hours for pubs and off-licences. It will also introduce an annual late bar and nightclub permits as well as cultural amenity licences.
This legislation marks the Government’s commitment to the reform of licensing laws to support and stimulate the night time economy. The shorter bill will also provide for new grounds of objection in line with the Zero Tolerance Third National Strategy to Tackle Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence and provide that licensing applications, which are currently heard in the Circuit Court, would be moved to the District Court.
There are plans to bring a future Sale of Alcohol Bill which will consolidate, streamline and modernise our current licensing system.
368. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice when a decision will be made on an application for Irish citizenship (details supplied); the reason for the delay in processing the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50729/23]
View answerThe naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department.
The person concerned applied for naturalisation in December 2022. Citizenship Division of my Department deemed this application ineligible as it was accompanied by an incomplete statutory declaration. A subsequent application for naturalisation was received in July of this year.
Clarification was requested in relation to details provided on the new application. Citizenship Division has received this clarification and processing of the application has resumed.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the submission of an incomplete application or an application received without all the relevant supporting documentation will result in delays in having the application processed by my Department.
Detailed information on how to apply for naturalisation is available on my Department's Irish Immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/.
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.
369. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Justice how many staff members in her Department have received training in cyber security in the past three years; what types of cyber security training programmes have been conducted; if she will provide details of these programmes; and of the staff trained in cyber security, how many have obtained accredited cyber security qualifications. [50802/23]
View answer370. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Justice the expenditure on cyber security consultants and companies within her Department in the past three years; if her Department engaged in cyber security audits with outside firms in the past three years; if so, the expenditure on same; the amount her Department spent on cyber security consultants and companies in the past three years; and for a breakdown of these expenditures by year and type of service provided. [50820/23]
View answer371. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Justice if there are any ongoing contracts or commitments with cyber security firms; and if details can be provided [50838/23]
View answer372. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Justice if her Department has a policy and plan in place to address a ransomware attack and restore her Department's IT systems. [50856/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 369 to 372, inclusive, together.
My Department implements a security-by-design and defence-in-depth approach to cyber security and all staff have regular access to cyber security awareness training.
The Department has enhanced its cyber security capabilities and has engaged third parties with specialist security skillsets to further support internal resources. The Deputy will appreciate that details of ongoing contracts with cybersecurity firms cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality agreements.
The technical team operates and monitors all relevant systems to the highest levels, and liaises closely with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to ensure that best and up to the minute practice is followed in relation to all aspects of cybersecurity.
I hope the Deputy will understand that, for sound reasons of operational and national security, it would not be prudent or appropriate to disclose details of my Department’s information technology infrastructure, cyber security arrangements including costs, or those of State offices, agencies and bodies under its remit.
373. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Justice the circumstances in which a person's name will be removed from the bankruptcy register; if a process is being considered by which a person could apply to have their name removed from the register; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50875/23]
View answerThe Bankruptcy Register is held by the Examiner’s Office, an office of the High Court. The Examiner’s Office carries out the administrative functions necessary to enable Bankruptcy applications to be listed before the Court and to carry out certain functions & administrative tasks on foot of Orders made by the Court thereafter. Pursuant to Court Orders & Rules, a manual register of Bankruptcies has been maintained since 1922, and is now accessible online through the Courts Service website at the following link – www.csol.ie.
Under the Bankruptcy Acts, where a person is adjudicated bankrupt his or her property will, as a general rule, automatically vest on the date of adjudication in the Official Assignee, to be realised for the benefit of creditors. While the bankrupt person is now, in normal course, discharged from bankruptcy after one year, any such property which has not yet been sold will, as a general rule, remain vested in the Official Assignee to be sold for the benefit of creditors. The Bankruptcy Amendment Act 2015 introduced an exception to this general rule regarding the family home of the bankrupt person. Under this exception, the bankrupt person’s interest in their home will automatically re-vest in the bankrupt person, if the Official Assignee has not applied to Court for its sale before the third anniversary of the person being adjudicated bankrupt.
As bankruptcy adjudication means that the bankrupt no longer owns their former property and cannot validly enter into any transactions regarding it, and because that property generally remains vested in the Official Assignee after the person is discharged from bankruptcy, the practice has been that solicitors for a purchaser of property will search on the Bankruptcy Register to verify that the vendor has not been adjudicated bankrupt.
The Courts Service cannot remove any of the entries from the Bankruptcy Register unless directed to do so by way of Court Order. There are no plans at present to amend the current operation of the register of bankruptcies.
374. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the amount that An Garda Síochána has spent on replacement of musical instruments for the Garda band to date in 2023. [50942/23]
View answerUnfortunately it has not been possible to collate the requested information in the time requested. I will revert to the Deputy when the information is available.
375. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of cases dealt with the Garda computer crime unit to date in 2023; and the number of successful cases completed by the Garda computer crime unit to date in 2023. [50943/23]
View answerI have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Garda authorities. Unfortunately, the information was not received in time. I will contact the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.
