Wednesday, 10 Feb 2021

Written Answers Nos. 635-653

Citizenship Applications

Ceisteanna (635)

Marian Harkin

Ceist:

635. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Justice the number of essential healthcare workers awaiting a decision on an application for naturalisation and citizenship; the waiting time for completion of these applications; the number of citizenship applications granted in each of the years 2018 to 2020; the timeframe from submission of an application to the granting of citizenship; the plans in place to deal with the backlog of current applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6969/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I recognise the crucial role healthcare workers are continuing to play in responding to the threat of Covid-19. They work in a challenging environment and deal with vulnerable people on a daily basis. Their exceptional commitment has been particularly clear throughout the pandemic, during which they have played a vital part in preventing the spread of Covid-19.

All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with legislation. There are no provisions to apply different criteria depending on the category of employment of the applicant and statistics are not maintained by the Immigration Service of my Department to enable me to provide details of the profession of applicants. All applicants are required to meet minimum periods of reckonable residence and standard checks are carried out as part of the overall process to maintain its integrity.

Table 1 as follows sets out the number of certificates of naturalisation granted in each of the years 2018 to 2020. Table 2 sets out the average time taken to process applications submitted in each of the same three years.

Table 1: The number of citizenship applications granted in each of the years 2018 to 2020

Year	Number of Certificates Issued
2018	8,221
2019	5,791
2020	5,482

Table 2: Timeframe from submission of an application to the granting of citizenship

Year	Average Processing Time (Months)
2018	10.40
2019	11.6
2020	13.5

I am conscious that a significant backlog has built up regarding the granting of citizenships due to the inability to hold in person ceremonies during COVID-19. Unfortunately, the pandemic has prevented the holding of such ceremonies, which are usually attended by hundreds of people and which have become a welcome addition to our public and civic life.

I was pleased to announce last month that a temporary system is now in place that will enable citizenship applicants to complete their naturalisation process by signing a statutory declaration of loyalty. This signed statutory declaration replaces the requirement for citizenship applicants to attend citizenship ceremonies, which have been temporarily suspended during COVID-19.

Under the temporary new system, up to 4,000 qualifying applicants will be asked to complete a statutory declaration that will be sent to them by email from the Citizenship Division of the Immigration Service of my Department and bring it to one of the listed designated officials. The designated official must witness the applicant sign the statutory declaration. The applicant must then send the signed statutory declaration, the appropriate fee and any other requested documentation to Citizenship Division. Final processing will then take place and a certificate of naturalisation, will be sent to the applicant.

The new system is in place from 18 January 2021, and my Department will communicate with applicants regarding the requirements, on a phased basis over the next few months until in-person citizenship ceremonies are able to recommence.

It is expected that the 4,000 applicants currently waiting on naturalisation will have been provided with an opportunity to gain citizenship by the end of March and I am pleased to say that more than 500 certificates have already issued this week. A significant number of healthcare and other front-line workers who have made extraordinary contributions during the pandemic will also benefit from these new arrangements over the coming weeks and months.

It remains my intention that large scale ceremonies will recommence once circumstances allow. Since their establishment in 2011, citizenship ceremonies have been joyous occasions which mark the granting of Irish citizenships in a dignified manner and they have become a welcome addition to our public and civic life. In-person ceremonies have been provisionally scheduled to resume in December 2021, subject to the safety of all involved being assured.

Garda Data

Ceisteanna (636)

Richard O'Donoghue

Ceist:

636. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice the number of bench warrants outstanding by county as of 31 December 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6981/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including the allocation of Garda resources in respect of identified operational demands. As Minister, I have no direct role in these decisions.

As the Deputy will appreciate, difficulties in relation to the execution of warrants, including bench warrants, are a long-standing issue for many police services around the world; notably relating to persons actively seeking to evade detection and where limited identification information might be available to support enforcement. I am assured, however, that An Garda Síochána execute warrants as expeditiously as possible, giving priority to the execution of warrants relating to serious crimes.

The following table, furnished to me by the Garda authorities, shows the number of outstanding bench warrants as of 31 December 2020 for each Garda Division.

Division	Outstanding Warrants
D.M.R. Eastern	762
D.M.R. North Central	5811
D.M.R. Northern	4490
D.M.R. South Central	1848
D.M.R. Southern	3115
D.M.R. Western	5317
Kildare Division	868
Kilkenny/Carlow	668
Laois/Offaly	233
Meath Division	448
Waterford Division	394
Westmeath Division	281
Wexford Division	419
Wicklow Division	467
Cavan/Monaghan	892
Donegal	789
Galway Division	833
Louth Division	620
Mayo	230
Roscommon/Longford Division	170
Sligo/Leitrim	282
Clare	178
Cork City	1015
Cork North	325
Cork West	169
Kerry	462
Limerick	989
Tipperary	489

I am informed that these figures were collated based on PULSE data as of 4 February 2021. As they constitute real time operational data, they are liable to change.

Road Traffic Offences

Ceisteanna (637)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

637. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 526 of 8 December 2020, if she received the additional information requested from the Garda Commissioner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7026/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

Parliamentary Question No. 526 of 8 December 2020 refers to the number of learner drivers detected driving while unaccompanied under the Clancy Amendment law since 22 December 2018; the number that had their vehicles seized for driving unaccompanied; and the number that were issued with a fixed charge notice for driving unaccompanied.

As you may recall, the information you requested could not be obtained in the time available and I undertook to contact you again when the information was to hand. The requested information has now been provided by An Garda Síochána.

As you will be aware, the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018, known as the Clancy Amendment, seeks to penalise car owners who knowingly allow their vehicles to be used by an unaccompanied learner driver. The law allows the owners of these vehicles to be fined and gives Gardaí the power to seize their cars if being driven by unaccompanied drivers.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that since the legislation was introduced on 22 December 2018, there have been 6,294 incidents in which drivers have had their vehicles seized under the Clancy Amendment for driving unaccompanied.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table show the number of Fixed Charge Notices issued in relation to Learner Driver Offences for the years 2016 up to and including 2020.

Offence Description	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Non Display of L plate (Learner Driver)	3899	3904	3416	3845	4148
Learner Driver Unaccompanied by a Qualified Driver	5812	6222	5187	6145	6709
Non Display of L tabard on motorcycle	73	98	97	110	174

Figures are based on incidents which occurred from 2016-2020 inclusive. All information contained in this report is based upon operational data from the PULSE and FCPS systems as was available on 28 January 2021 and is provisional, operational and subject to change.

Road Traffic Offences

Ceisteanna (638)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

638. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of unaccompanied learner drivers detected per Garda division and station in 2019 and up to 31 October 2020; the number of learners issued with a fixed charge notice for driving unaccompanied per division and station; the number of vehicles seized from learners each year for driving unaccompanied per Garda division and station; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7027/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

The Deputy will be aware that the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018, known as the Clancy Amendment, seeks to penalise car owners who knowingly allow their vehicles to be used by an unaccompanied learner driver. The law allows the owners of these vehicles to be fined and gives Gardaí the power to seize their cars if being driven by unaccompanied drivers.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that 12,443 Fixed Charge Notices have been issued to learner drivers who were unaccompanied by a qualified driver between 22 December 2018 and 13 December 2020 inclusive.

I am further informed that there was 5,734 incidents in which drivers have had their vehicles seized under the Clancy Amendment for driving unaccompanied by a qualified driver between 22 December 2018 and 13 December 2020 inclusive.

All information contained in this report is based upon operational data from the PULSE and FCPS systems as was available on 14 December 2020 and is liable to change.

I have requested further information from the Garda Commissioner in relation to localised data as requested by the Deputy and will write to the Deputy directly with the information requested, when it is available.

Road Traffic Offences

Ceisteanna (639)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

639. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 145 of 18 November 2020 and 500 of 8 December 2020, the number of learner drivers in 2019 and up to 31 October 2020 that did not pay the FCN issued for driving unaccompanied by a qualified driver under the Clancy amendment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7028/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy is aware, the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018, also known as the Clancy Amendment, seeks to penalise car owners who knowingly allow their vehicles to be used by an unaccompanied learner driver. The law allows the owners of these vehicles to be fined and gives Gardaí the power to seize their cars if being driven by unaccompanied drivers.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that 11,733 Fixed Charge Notices issued in relation to the offence of Learner Drivers unaccompanied by a qualified driver for the period from January 2019 - October 2020.

I am further advised that:

- 7,608 of these were either paid or are within the payment process.

- 432 were either terminated or became statute barred.

- 3,693 have either gone to summons or have been sent to court.

I am informed that these figures are based on incidents which occurred from 01/01/2019 to 31/10/2020 inclusive and were collated based on data from PULSE and FCPS data as of 8 February 2021. As they constitute real time operational data, they are liable to change.

Road Traffic Offences

Ceisteanna (640)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

640. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of disqualified learner drivers who failed to surrender their learner permit in 2018 and 2019 and were summoned to court for the offence; the number convicted each year for this offence; the penalties imposed each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7029/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I have requested information from the Courts Service and am making further enquiries in relation to this matter. I will write to the Deputy directly with the information requested when it is available.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

uested from the Courts Service and undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand. Due to an oversight in my Department, your questions went unanswered and I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to you for the delay in responding to your queries. As you are aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, the management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions. This includes the provision of information on the courts system.

However, in order to be of assistance, I have made appropriate enquiries and the Courts Service have provided a report on the number of drivers that failed to surrender their licence and were before the courts for that offence; the number of those drivers that were convicted of the offence; and the penalties imposed in respect of those convictions for the years 2018 up to and including 2021.

Year	No of Drivers Before the court	No of Drivers Convicted	No of Fines imposed	No of Disqualifications imposed
2018	32	14	14	1
2019	22	9	9	1
2020	10	0	0	0
2021	15	1	1	0

I am advised by the Courts Service that they cannot provide a breakdown by licence type (full licence vs learners permit) as they do not have specific offences to distinguish between the two.

I am further advised that the above figures are based on the following offence codes: Fail to Produce Driving Licence to Court Registrar/Clerk, and Disqualified Driver; Failing to Submit Licence (RTA 2010).

I am informed that the figures include Summonses and Charge Sheets. I am further informed that the figures also include summonses that were not served but listed for court.

As you may be aware, the Courts Service can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors. Prosecutors may have used uncoded free text offences and any such offences would not be included in the data provided.

Road Traffic Offences

Ceisteanna (641)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

641. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of full licence holders who were disqualified but failed to surrender their driver licence in 2018 and 2019 and were summoned to court for the offence of failing to surrender; the number convicted each year for this offence; the penalties imposed each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7030/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I have requested information from the Courts Service and I am making further enquiries in relation to this matter. I will write to the Deputy directly with the information requested, when it is available.

Road Traffic Offences

Ceisteanna (642)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

642. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 501 of 8 December 2020, the number of drivers summoned to court for driving without a licence, per district court in 2018, 2019 and up to 31 July 2020; the number convicted per district court in each year; and the fines imposed per district court in each year. [7031/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I am informed by An Garda Síochána that section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended by section 12 of the Road Traffic Act 2006, creates the offence of ‘Driving without a Driving Licence’. The penalty for this offence is, upon summary conviction, a fine not exceeding €1,000, and in any other case, a fine not exceeding €2,000.

I am further informed that section 38 (5) of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended by Section 12 of the Road Traffic Act 2006, provides an increased penalty in respect of a person who is summarily convicted of the offence of Driving without a Driving Licence and was, at the time he or she committed the offence, disqualified for holding a driving licence, namely a fine not exceeding €5,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both.

The following table, provided by the Courts Service, shows the number of drivers summoned to court for driving without a licence, per district court, for 2018 and 2019. 2020 figures are for the period from January – July 2020.

Please note that the Courts can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors. Prosecutors may have used uncoded free text offences and any such offences would not be included in the data provided.

Jan – Dec 2018

Court Area	No. of Persons before the court	No. of Persons convicted	No. of Persons where fines were imposed
ACAILL	1
ARKLOW	88	15	15
ATHLONE	141	35	22
BALLINASLOE	94	17	17
BANTRY	37	13	9
BRAY	279	39	37
CAVAN	229	11	8
DUBLIN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT	5,383	1,079	1,033
ENNIS	369	103	103
FERMOY	152	19	12
KENMARE	21	9	9
KILKENNY	235	89	84
KILLARNEY	104	38	34
LIMERICK	961	275	273
MACROOM	103	36	28
MANORHAMILTON	13	6	4
MEATH	652	81	75
MONAGHAN	91	4	4
NEWCASTLE WEST	203	54	54
ROSCOMMON	82	16	14
WEXFORD	280	66	52
YOUGHAL	43	11	8
ARDEE	56	3	3
ATHY	80	25	22
BALLINA	61	15	15
BANDON	95	34	23
BEAL AN MHUIRTHEAD	8	1	1
BALLAGHADERREEN	21	4	2
BALLYSHANNON	33	3	2
BUNCRANA	62	4	2
CAHIRCIVEEN	15	2	2
CARLOW	218	55	52
CASHEL	133	20	17
CASTLEBAR	114	21	20
CLIFDEN	16	4	4
CLONMEL	99	24	15
CLONAKILTY	51	16	13
CORK CITY	943	337	273
CARRICK ON SHANNON	73	9	8
CARRICKMACROSS	115	4	4
CARNDONAGH	26	4	3
CARRICK ON SUIR	39	13	9
CASTLEREA	23	7	7
AN DAINGEAN	5	4	4
DUNGARVAN	83	12	11
DONEGAL	21	6	2
DROGHEDA	223	15	13
DOIRE AN FHEICH	24	7	4
DUNDALK	220	16	14
AN CLOCHAN LIATH	23	3	2
AN FAL CARRACH	18	1
GALWAY	410	114	71
NA GLEANNTA	12	6	2
GORT	57	13	12
GOREY	227	42	32
KILLALOE	39	10	9
KILCOCK	112	30	28
KILLORGLIN	7	1	1
KILRUSH	58	17	17
LETTERKENNY	215	50	23
LISMORE	17	4	4
LISTOWEL	84	30	27
LONGFORD	207	47	39
LOUGHREA	85	21	19
MALLOW	243	36	23
MIDLETON	182	27	11
MULLINGAR	219	43	33
NAAS	536	83	80
NENAGH	158	11	11
PORTLAOISE	535	91	88
SKIBBEREEN	19	4	3
SLIGO	128	14	11
STROKESTOWN	21	5	3
THURLES	137	21	19
TIPPERARY	76	10	9
TRALEE	191	54	41
TUAM	112	30	26
TUBBERCURRY	48	6	5
TULLAMORE	307	68	65
VIRGINIA	167	14	14
WICKLOW	141	23	23
WESTPORT	13	5	5
WATERFORD CITY	390	18	16
Total	17,612	3,633	3,212

Jan – Dec 2019

Court Area	No. of Persons before the court	No. of Persons convicted	No. of Persons where fines were imposed
ACAILL	4	4	4
ARKLOW	87	15	15
ATHLONE	130	29	25
BALLINASLOE	104	23	13
BANTRY	43	6	3
BRAY	264	44	43
CAVAN	200	4	4
DUBLIN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT	5,819	1,138	1,068
ENNIS	296	39	37
FERMOY	156	28	18
KENMARE	9	3	3
KILKENNY	263	68	55
KILLARNEY	77	29	16
LIMERICK	940	284	280
MACROOM	94	15	5
MANORHAMILTON	15	1	1
MEATH	580	98	94
MONAGHAN	104	7	4
NEWCASTLE WEST	226	62	61
ROSCOMMON	75	15	11
TRIM	1
WEXFORD	328	46	43
YOUGHAL	42	15	6
ARDEE	84	8	7
ATHY	88	17	13
BALLINA	54	11	11
BANDON	81	28	13
BEAL AN MHUIRTHEAD	9	2	2
BALLAGHADERREEN	27	8	5
BALLINAMORE	1
BALLYSHANNON	44	4	4
BUNCRANA	34	2	1
CAHIRCIVEEN	14	4	3
CARLOW	189	57	49
CASHEL	179	36	27
CASTLEBAR	166	41	40
CLIFDEN	13	2	1
CLONMEL	103	25	16
CLONAKILTY	48	14	5
CORK CITY	1,038	401	327
CARRICK ON SHANNON	96	11	10
CARRICKMACROSS	129	4	4
CARNDONAGH	34	1
CARRICK ON SUIR	35	8	6
CASTLEREA	32	10	10
AN DAINGEAN	20	4	4
DUNGARVAN	81	9	4
DONEGAL	19	1	1
DROGHEDA	295	27	25
DOIRE AN FHEICH	24	9	7
DUNDALK	300	29	27
AN CLOCHAN LIATH	24	2	1
EDENDERRY	1
AN FAL CARRACH	8	3
GALWAY	288	77	53
NA GLEANNTA	6	1
GORT	74	28	28
GOREY	286	29	27
KILLALOE	33	7	7
KILCOCK	96	14	12
KILLORGLIN	8	3	3
KILRUSH	36	5	4
LETTERKENNY	185	24	9
LISMORE	22	4
LISTOWEL	57	11	9
LONGFORD	261	57	51
LOUGHREA	111	27	25
MALLOW	233	45	14
MIDLETON	212	38	16
MULLINGAR	217	39	28
NAAS	785	124	112
NENAGH	146	15	15
PORTLAOISE	510	85	82
SKIBBEREEN	12	4	2
SLIGO	139	11	11
STROKESTOWN	24	4	3
THURLES	139	13	12
TIPPERARY	88	8	8
TRALEE	218	65	52
TUAM	99	23	13
TUBBERCURRY	39	3	3
TULLAMORE	328	53	49
VIRGINIA	143	5	5
WICKLOW	148	16	16
WESTPORT	17	5	5
WATERFORD CITY	477	26	23
Total	18,564	3,620	3,129

Jan – 31 July 2020

Court Area	No. of Persons before the court	No. of Persons convicted	No. of Persons where fines were imposed
ACAILL	1
ARKLOW	49	8	8
ATHLONE	76	8	8
BALLINASLOE	49	20	17
BANTRY	16
BRAY	119	12	12
CAVAN	77	3	1
DUBLIN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT	1,919	233	211
ENNIS	165	32	32
FERMOY	53	1	1
KENMARE	3
KILKENNY	123	26	25
KILLARNEY	32	10	5
LIMERICK	489	116	116
MACROOM	33	3	2
MANORHAMILTON	4
MEATH	253	35	34
MONAGHAN	28
NEWCASTLE WEST	93	26	26
ROSCOMMON	47	14	14
WEXFORD	171	15	10
YOUGHAL	14	3	1
ARDEE	26	1	1
ATHY	38	2	2
BALLINA	29	2	2
BANDON	28	4	1
BEAL AN MHUIRTHEAD	1
BALLAGHADERREEN	9	1	1
BALLYSHANNON	13
BUNCRANA	21	1
CAHIRCIVEEN	9	1
CARLOW	128	26	25
CASHEL	103	15	15
CASTLEBAR	76	23	23
CLIFDEN	11	3	3
CLONMEL	60	12	4
CLONAKILTY	20	2	1
CORK CITY	518	179	146
CARRICK ON SHANNON	20	1	1
CARRICKMACROSS	75
CARNDONAGH	20	2	2
CARRICK ON SUIR	22	5	4
CASTLEREA	16	4	3
AN DAINGEAN	6	2	2
DUNGARVAN	35	1	1
DONEGAL	10
DROGHEDA	93	5	5
DOIRE AN FHEICH	21	8	6
DUNDALK	93	7	6
AN CLOCHAN LIATH	7	2	2
AN FAL CARRACH	4		19
GALWAY	132	30
NA GLEANNTA	6	1
GORT	46	9	9
GOREY	122	12	11
KILLALOE	8	2	2
KILLORGLIN	3
KILRUSH	10	4	4
LETTERKENNY	121	14	5
LISMORE	5
LISTOWEL	36	6	4
LONGFORD	137	34	28
LOUGHREA	61	21	16
MALLOW	79	7	7
MIDLETON	80	7	3
MULLINGAR	89	14	11
NAAS	372	29	22
NENAGH	76	4	4
PORTLAOISE	225	30	29
SKIBBEREEN	9	4
SLIGO	69	3	3
STROKESTOWN	5	3	3
THURLES	55	3	3
TIPPERARY	37	1	1
TRALEE	113	29	15
TUAM	48	18	14
TUBBERCURRY	26
TULLAMORE	135	11	10
VIRGINIA	34	3	3
WICKLOW	85	8	8
WATERFORD CITY	201	6	5
Total	7,751	1,187	1,018

Road Traffic Offences

Ceisteanna (643)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

643. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers who were summarily convicted of the offence of driving without a driving licence in 2018, 2019 and up to 31 July 2020 who were, at the time they committed the offence, disqualified; and the penalties imposed on those drivers under section 38(5) of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended by section 12 of the Road Traffic Act 2006. [7032/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

The Deputy will appreciate that road traffic legislation falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Transport.

I am informed by An Garda Síochána that section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended by section 12 of the Road Traffic Act 2006, creates the offence of ‘Driving without a Driving Licence’. The penalty for this offence is, upon summary conviction, a fine not exceeding €1,000, and in any other case, a fine not exceeding €2,000.

I am further informed that section 38 (5) of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended by Section 12 of the Road Traffic Act 2006, provides an increased penalty in respect of a person who is summarily convicted of the offence of Driving without a Driving Licence and was, at the time he or she committed the offence, disqualified for holding a driving licence, namely a fine not exceeding €5,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both.

The following table, provided by An Garda Síochána, shows the number of proceedings taken in relation to driving without a driving licence 2018-2020. 2020 figures are for the period from January – July 2020.

Year	2018	2019	2020 (Jan – July)
Driving without a Driving licence	22,527	20,557	10,515

* All figures provided are provisional, operational and subject to change.

Please note that we have been advised by An Garda Síochána that these statistics are not compiled in such a way as to identify specific number of arrests for driving while disqualified under section 6(b) and (c) of the Road Traffic Act, as this would necessitate an extensive manual trawl of all relevant incidents recorded on PULSE to collate same, which would require a disproportionate expenditure of Garda time and resources.

Further to the statistics provided by An Garda Síochána, the Courts Service have provided the below tables. Please note that the Court Service have advised that they can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors. Prosecutors may have used uncoded free text offences and any such offences would not be included in the data provided.

Number of drivers before the courts by way of summons or charge sheet for driving without a licence for 2018, 2019 and Jan – July 2020:

Year	No of Persons before the Courts
Jan – Dec 2018	16,851
Jan – Dec 2019	17,726
Jan – July 2020	7,531

Report on the number of orders & number of persons per order for the years 2018; 2019 & Jan – July 2020

	Jan – Dec 2018	Jan-Dec 2018	Jan – Dec 2019	Jan-Dec 2019	Jan – 31 July 2020	Jan-31 July 2020
Court Orders	No of Orders	No of Persons	No of Orders	No of Persons	No of Orders	No of Persons
Community Service Order	66	64	76	68	21	19
Dismiss	184	176	253	242	122	120
Dismiss Probation Act	44	44	53	52	9	9
Disqualification	480	411	535	445	216	176
Fine	3,440	3,166	3,428	3,100	1,094	1,016
Imprisonment	234	171	312	244	123	86
Imprisonment - Part Suspended	1	1	1	1	1	1
Imprisonment - Suspended	180	177	194	187	63	56
No Order	89	83	115	95	41	39
Other	3	3	12	6	2	2
Peace Bond	3	3	2	2	3	3
Poor Box	6	6	11	11	3	3
Probation Order	52	34	45	37	8	8
Sent forward for Trial			3	3	1	1
Strike Out	6,813	6,386	6,449	6,041	2,122	2,032
Strike Out - Not Served	4,680	3,865	4,986	4,184	2,728	2,485
Taken Into Consideration	3,623	2,826	3,903	2,990	1,451	1,144
Withdrawn	1,621	1,545	2,365	2,265	924	897
Total	21,519	18,961	22,743	19,973	8,932	8,097

Please note that a person may have received more than one order and will appear on the above report twice and an offence may have more than one penalty imposed and as such will also appear twice on the report.

Section 38(5) of the Road Traffic Act 1961 only provides for summary conviction of the offences mentioned by the Deputy.

Garda Resources

Ceisteanna (644)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

644. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number and location of Garda forensic collision investigators; when the last competition for new forensic collision investigators was held; the number trained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7033/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.

I have requested information from the Garda Commissioner in relation to this matter and will write to the Deputy directly with the information requested, when it is available.

Road Traffic Accidents

Ceisteanna (645)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

645. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if the operational guidelines for forensic traffic investigators have been updated since 2007; if a review and urgent update of these guidelines will be carried out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7034/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible, by law, for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána including all operational matters. I, as Minister, have no direct role in these matters.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that Garda Forensic Collision Investigators provide expert analysis of collision scenes to determine the root cause of collisions.

I am further informed that the An Garda Síochána Roads Policing Manual, which issued in 2014, provided updated guidelines in respect of Forensic Collision Investigations. An update of the 2014 Manual is currently under way.

I am assured that An Garda Síochána continually review the operational effectiveness of units and processes and this is similarly the case with Forensic Collision Investigators where technology and practices are evolving.

Road Traffic Accidents

Ceisteanna (646)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

646. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of fatal road traffic collisions each year from 2016 to 2020; the number of drivers involved per year; the number 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. [7035/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I can inform the Deputy that road safety remains a high priority for An Garda Síochána and for my Department, working closely in cooperation with the Department of Transport. Any fatality or serious injury is of great concern.

An Garda Síochána is responsible for collating information regarding road traffic collisions and I am advised by An Garda Síochána of the following information as requested by the Deputy.

The following table contains the following information for each year from 2016 to 2020:

- The number of fatal collisions for each year.

- The total number of drivers involved in these fatal collisions.

- The number of these drivers whose licence status is either unknown or currently under investigation.

	Fatal Collisions	All Drivers Involved	Unknown Licence Status/Under Investigation
2016	173	233	4
2017	140	181	6
2018	131	168	3
2019	129	172	8
2020	137	170	8

I have been further advised by the Garda authorities that the above information is based upon operational data from PULSE and the Fixed Charge Penalty System as was available on 5 February 2021 and is liable to change.

Figures are based on incidents which occurred from 01/01/2016 to 31/12/2020 inclusive.

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner has established the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau (GNRPB) to ensure a consistent approach to road safety and enforcement of road traffic legislation across the country. This is achieved through coordination of enforcement and development of policy based on research and analysis of statistics and by engaging in campaigns in partnership with other State Agencies.

Legislative Reviews

Ceisteanna (647)

Thomas Pringle

Ceist:

647. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice the progress made on the implementation of the 25 recommendations accepted in relation to the report of the review group on structures and strategies to prevent, investigate and penalise economic crime and corruption; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7067/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commits to tackling white collar crime and corruption and to the implementation of new anti-corruption and anti-fraud measures informed by the Hamilton Review.

I am strongly committed to tackling all forms of corruption and white-collar crime and the Deputy will be aware that I recently announced my intention to lead a new cross-government plan to tackle these issues, following the publication of the Hamilton Review of Structures and Strategies to Prevent, Investigate and Penalise Economic Crime and Corruption.

I would like to thank the former Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr James Hamilton, and the members of his Review Group for their meticulous work in preparing their detailed report, which I am determined to act upon.

The report of the Review Group contains recommendations that focus primarily on legislative, structural and resourcing measures to enhance agency and multi-agency enforcement and prevention capacity in the criminal justice sphere.

Officials in my department are currently drafting an implementation plan for the report’s recommendations, in consultation with relevant bodies, to identify priorities and set timelines for the introduction of a series of reforms to strengthen the State’s capacity to prevent and prosecute white-collar crime. I expect to bring an implementation plan to Cabinet shortly for approval prior to publication.

Question No. 648 answered with Question No. 633.

Gangland Crime

Ceisteanna (649, 652)

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

649. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the degree to which the strength of criminal gangs continues to be monitored; if a noticeable change as to the degree of their activity has been seen; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7139/21]

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

652. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the extent to which her Department continues to monitor the extent to which membership of criminal gangs remains a threat throughout the country; the action being taken to address the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7142/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 649 and 652 together.

The Deputy will be aware that the Commissioner is responsible, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, for generally carrying on, managing and administering Garda business. This includes all operational aspects of Garda business, including the monitoring of, and actions taken against, organised crime groups (OCGs) within the State.

I am kept appraised of any matters relating to OCG activity that the Commissioner deems appropriate under the provisions of the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.952 billion for 2021. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff. As a result, Garda numbers are approximately 14,600 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda staff nationwide. Budget 2021 will allow for the recruitment of up to 620 new Gardaí and an extra 500 Garda staff, subject to the Public Health restrictions governing the operation of the Garda College, Templemore.

I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use. The Commissioner has advised that specialist units are still engaged in the vital work of targeting organised criminal activity, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges it has presented the Gardaí.

I have been advised by the Garda authorities that, from 2015 to February 2021, GNDOC has seized €209m in illicit drugs (€36.7m in 2020), 133 firearms, 5516 rounds of ammunition and €21.7m in cash (€8m in 2020).

Garda Strength

Ceisteanna (650)

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

650. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current strength of An Garda Síochána; the degree to which the strength of the force has increased in recent times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7140/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.952 billion for 2021. The significant level of funding provided over recent years is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff. As a result, there are now approximately 14,600 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda staff nationwide. This represents an increase of over 13% since 2015.

Budget 2021 will allow for the recruitment of up to 620 new Gardaí, subject to public health considerations regarding the operation of the Garda College. The Budget allocation also provides for an increase in supervisory ranks at Sergeant and Inspector level.

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources. As Minister, I have no role in decisions on such matters. I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.

A detailed breakdown of Garda numbers by Division, District and Station is available on my Department’s website, in the interests of transparency and for the convenience of Deputies and the wider public. This information is updated every month with the latest data provided by An Garda Síochána. The Information on Garda members requested may be accessed at the following link:

http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Workforce

Garda Deployment

Ceisteanna (651)

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

651. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the extent to which deployment of An Garda Síochána is in line with the level of criminal activity in various locations throughout country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7141/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources. As Minister, I have no role in these matters. I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.

The allocation and transfer of Garda personnel is determined by a number of factors, including crime and non-crime workload, minimum establishment, population, area, policing arrangements, operational strategies and transfers applications, including welfare issues. When allocations are taking place, comprehensive consultation is carried out with Local Management during which all factors are taken into consideration. Where a deficiency in resources is identified, the matter is considered fully and addressed accordingly.

An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.952 billion for 2021. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff. As a result, Garda numbers are approximately 14,600 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda staff nationwide. Budget 2021 will allow for the recruitment of up to 620 new Gardaí and an extra 500 Garda staff, subject to the Public Health restrictions governing the operation of the Garda College, Templemore.

Question No. 652 answered with Question No. 649.

Crime Data

Ceisteanna (653)

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

653. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the number of criminal gang leaders and members brought before the courts in the past 12; the number of convictions; the number of cases in respect of which there were no convictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7143/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, prosecutions are a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who is independent in the performance of her functions.

In order to be of assistance, my officials contacted the Courts Service and An Garda Síochána with regard to the remainder of the Deputy's query.

The Courts Service have advised that their statistics are not compiled in such a way as to provide information with regard to the number of members of criminal gangs brought before the Courts in the last twelve months. An Garda Síochána has further advised that the placing of an individual within any specific grouping would be a security matter grounded in intelligence, which the Deputy will appreciate that An Garda Síochána do not comment on.