Written Answers Nos. 771-790
771. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Justice when a decision will be made for persons (details supplied) to remain here along with their family; when their deportation order will be lifted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17404/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe individuals referred to by the Deputy were issued a letter refusing their permission to remain in the state on 24 September 2018. In response to a notification pursuant to the provisions of Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), written representations have been submitted on behalf of the persons concerned. These representations, together with all other information and documentation on file, will be fully considered, under Section 3 (11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended) and all other applicable legislation, in advance of a final decision being made. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (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 Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
772. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Justice the procedure regarding the issuing of an employment permit to atypical workers in the fishing industry; if such persons must be in possession of a visa before a work permit can issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17525/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra834. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Justice the procedure regarding the issuing of visas to atypical workers in the fishing industry; if an employment permit is required before a visa can issue to such a worker; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17524/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 772 and 834 together.
A person can apply for an employment visa (Atypical Working Scheme) if they have approval from the Atypical Working Scheme Division of the Immigration Service of my Department to take up short term employment in Ireland.
The Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) was developed, in conjunction with the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment (DETE) and other relevant stakeholders, to provide a streamlined approach for applications from non-EEA nationals who wish to work in atypical, short-term employment or other employments not included in the DETE list of ‘Ineligible Categories’.
One of the categories of employment covered by the Scheme is non-EEA crew in the Irish Fishing Fleet. This part of the Scheme was established as a cross Departmental response to address the matter of non-EEA workers on certain categories of vessels in the Irish fishing fleet, who are not currently eligible for permission under the DETE Employment Permit system.
The application process for permission under the AWS includes the drawing up of a contract which includes, the 12 month duration of the contract payment of wages in line with the minimum wage, that the medical needs of the employee must be provided for by the employer, and when an employment is terminated the employer must repatriate the employee to their home country. This contract, prepared by a solicitor practising in the State on behalf of the employer, is submitted in the first instance to the Central Depository administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and thereafter an application is made to the Immigration Service of my Department for an immigration permission.
Applicants under the AWS for non-EEA crew in the Irish Fishing Fleet can also make a request to change to a different employer licensed under the Scheme at any time during their permission. A participant does not need to leave the State in order to do this.
773. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Justice her plans to grant asylum to persons located in migrant camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos; the number of persons granted asylum in 2020; the number of persons she plans to grant asylum to in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16284/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland strongly supports the principle of solidarity and recognises that assistance is required for Member States who receive a disproportionate number of international protection applicants. However, the Deputy should be aware that I have no jurisdiction to grant international protection to people located in camps on the Greek islands. That is solely a matter for the Greek authorities.
Notwithstanding this, in October 2020, Ireland agreed to accept 50 persons, in family groups, who had been granted international protection in Greece and who had been displaced from the Moira camp on the island of Lesbos following the fire that destroyed the Camp. These families are to be admitted to Ireland as part of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), which is now under the remit of my colleague, Minister O'Gorman. That pledge was in addition to the commitment that Ireland had already made with the UNHCR to resettle 2,900 refugees to Ireland, mainly from Jordan and Lebanon, between 2020 and 2023.
I understand from Minister O'Gorman that families have been accepted by Ireland, subject to any assessment, security or otherwise to be undertaken. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is working with the Greek authorities and other relevant stakeholders to organise their relocation to Ireland as soon as possible, with due regard to Covid-19 protocols and restrictions.
774. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice if consideration will be given to the extension of visas for persons currently residing here whose visas are due to expire but are planning to return on a work visa and have a legitimate offer of employment given current travel restrictions and to avoid unnecessary international travel. [16303/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor people currently living in Ireland and who hold a valid immigration permission registered with my Department, I announced on 26 March 2021, that all such permissions due to expire between 21 April 2021 and 20 September 2021, are automatically renewed to 20 September 2021. In each instance, the automatic renewal of permission is on the same basis as the existing permission and the same conditions attach. In relation to persons with existing permission under Directive 2004/38/EC (Free Movement Directive), the automatic renewal is subject to the requirement that the person is complying with the requirements of the Directive.
If a person living abroad wishes to apply for an employment visa to work in Ireland, they can apply once they have obtained an employment permit from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE).
775. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for residency status and eligibility for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16355/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. If any further documentation is required, it will be requested from the person in due course.
An application for renewal of permission to remain was also received from the person concerned on 5 June 2020, which is being processed . The person concerned has permission to remain in the state until 20 September 2021, under the most recent temporary extension of immigration and international protection permissions that I announced last Friday.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
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.
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.
776. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice the average timeline for Garda vetting applications to be processed. [16374/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that vetting applications are an operational matter for An Garda Síochána, and neither I, nor my Department, have any role in the processing of individual applications.
I am advised by Garda authorities that there are no backlogs or delays in Garda Vetting at present.
Since the commencement of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016, and the simultaneous rollout of the award winning e-Vetting system, the average vetting processing time has been 3 to 5 working days for 85% of vetting applications received.
I am informed that throughout 2020, 96% of vetting applications received were completed within 5 working days, with 54% of these being completed on the same day they were received.
I am further informed that average period for completion of vetting applications received at the Garda National Vetting Bureau during 2020 was 3 working days.
In 2021, the current turnaround time for vetting applications submitted by organisations utilising the e-Vetting system is 3 to 5 working days for over 85% of vetting applications received.
It is important to note that in a number of instances, it is necessary to conduct enquiries with external Garda Stations and Agencies such as the Courts Service, Probation Service, Child and Family Agency, etc. These enquiries are conducted for a multiplicity of reasons such as verification of identity; updating of incomplete records; and establishing outcomes of investigations. I am advised that in such instances, processing times are significantly longer than the general average.
777. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Justice the number and value of fines by type or grounds issued in 2020 under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 and Health (Amendment) Act 2020 and consequent regulations in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16393/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, An Garda Síochána is responsible for policing the public health regulations made under the Health Act 1947.
An Garda Síochána continue to use the 'Four E's' approach in line with their strong tradition of community policing and policing by consent. This sees Garda members Engage with, Encourage and Educate members of the public on public health advice and regulations, with Enforcement used only as a last resort.
The Health (Amendment) Act 2020, which amended the Health Act 1947, was signed into law by the President on 25 October 2020. Regulations providing for a new system of fines under the Act were subsequently signed by the Minister for Health on 21 November 2020. The Act allows for a system of fixed charge notices for those found in breach of those COVID-19 regulations which have been designated as penal provisions. It also allows for a speedier system of fines, without the requirement for the person to be brought before the Courts and prosecuted, up to a maximum of €500 and a person has 28 days to pay the fine after it is issued.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the table below shows the number of fines issued in 2020.
|
Fine Type |
2020 |
|
Event Organisers (Dwelling and Non-Dwelling) (€500) |
5 |
|
Non-wearing of face coverings (€80) |
18 |
|
Total |
23 |
The Deputy will also be aware that on 29 January 2021, S.I. 30/2021 introduced further fixed charge notices for non-essential international travel.
At present the following fines can currently be issued:
- €500 fine for a person engaged in travel to an airport/port without a reasonable excuse (Health (Amendment) Act 2021 provides for increase to €2,000);
- €500 fine for a person organising a house party;
- €150 fine for a person found attending house parties;
- €100 fine for a person engaged in travel without reasonable excuse;
- €100 fine for non-essential cross-border travel in this jurisdiction;
- €80 fine for not wearing face coverings in certain locations.
As of 25 March 2021, a total of 16,434 fines had been issued. Weekly updates in relation to the total number of COVID-19 related fines and the numbers in each Garda division are published every Friday on the Garda website. These statistics can be accessed at:
https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/office-of-corporate-communications/news-media/coronavirus-covid-19-.html
778. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice her plans to further extend all immigration permissions beyond 20 April 2021 in view of the ongoing level 5 restrictions, the international travel advice currently in place and the entry restrictions in other countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16395/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra779. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice her plans to further extend all international protection permissions beyond 20 April 2021 in view of the ongoing level 5 restrictions, the international travel advice currently in place and the entry restrictions in other countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16396/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra828. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice if there will be an additional extension allowed for expired immigration permits given the situation with Covid-19 restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17321/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 778, 779 and 828 together.
For people currently living in Ireland and who hold either a valid immigration or an international protection permission registered with my Department, I announced on 26 March 2021, that all such permissions due to expire between 21 April 2021 and 20 September 2021, are automatically renewed to 20 September 2021.
In each instance, the automatic renewal of permission is on the same basis as the existing permission and the same conditions attach. In relation to persons with existing permission under Directive 2004/38/EC (Free Movement Directive), the automatic renewal is subject to the requirement that the person is complying with the requirements of the Directive.
This is the seventh, and expected to be the final, extension of permissions granted since the outset of the pandemic. Any permission that was renewed by the previous notices is also automatically renewed by this notice until 20 September 2021.
The temporary extension of immigration permissions means that anyone who held a valid permission to be in the State in March 2020 is legally permitted to remain until 20 September 2021, even if their Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card has expired and they are awaiting a new one.
All renewals in the Dublin area are now being processed online only and the system has been available for all applicants since 20 July 2020 at https://inisonline.jahs.ie. Online renewal applications continue to be accepted and processed. I encourage Dublin based customers who can use the online system, to do so and to not wait until September.
The Registration Office in Burgh Quay remains closed as a result of the Level 5 COVID-19 restrictions announced by Government in December. Customers who were issued with appointments for first time registrations will be prioritised for appointments once the Public Office can safely reopen. As first time registration requires the taking of biometrics - fingerprints - this cannot be done online.
Registrations outside of the Dublin area are processed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau through the Garda Station network. Information on the contact details for all the registration offices outside Dublin is available at: https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/office-of-corporate-communications/news-media/reopening-of-registration-offices.html.
780. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons charged with knife crimes in 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16402/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra781. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons convicted of knife crimes in 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16403/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 780 and 781 together.
Knife crime is a serious issue across many jurisdictions. The mission of An Garda Síochána is ‘Keeping People Safe’ and whilst this is a simple message, it is a very deep one, and An Garda Síochána keep policing practices and strategies under review with a view to providing the best possible responses.
The Deputy will be aware that under my recently published Justice Plan 2021, my Department will review existing Garda powers in relation to dangerous weapons, including knives, to ensure they have the necessary legal tools to protect our communities.
We will also focus on analysing existing data, as well as developing new sources of data, and looking at international best practice in this area.
I have contacted both An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service for the information requested by the Deputy and have been advised of the following:
In relation to the number of persons charged for knife crimes, a search of the PULSE database was conducted on 25 March 2021 to identify any charge or summons created nationwide during 2020 whereby the associated legislative act was the ‘Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990’ and the offence wording referred to Section 9(1) or Section 9(4) of that Act. The total count of unique charges and summonses created under each heading is as follows:
|
Offence Wording |
Charges/Summons Issued |
|
Contrary to S9(1) and 9(7) of Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 (as amended by S38 of Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009 |
1997 |
|
Contrary to S9(4) Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 |
289 |
The total number of charges/summons issued for 2020 is 2,286.
It should be noted that these statistics are taken from PULSE as of 05:00 on 25 March 2021 and that they are operational data and liable to change. Multiple charges or summonses may be issued for incidents, for example, if there are multiple offenders or multiple categories of charges.
In relation to the number of convictions for the offences listed above, I have been advised by the Courts Service that the following, provisional, figures are available:
The Courts Service have provided reports on the number of convictions secured and the number of persons convicted of the offences listed. The Courts Service have no separate code for various categories of knife crime. The codes utilised by Courts Service are based on those used by An Garda Síochána and includes knives or other articles which could include screwdrivers, knuckledusters, guns etc.
Report 1: The number of convictions & number of persons convicted for Possession of Knives & other Articles. Section 9(1) Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990
Report 2: The number of convictions & number of persons convicted for Possession of Flick-Knife. Section 9(4) Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990.
Report 1
|
Year |
No. of offences where convictions was recorded |
No. of Persons convicted |
|
Jan – 31 Dec 2020 |
490 |
434 |
Report 2
|
Year |
No. of offences where convictions was recorded |
No. of Persons convicted |
|
Jan – 31 Dec 2020 |
44 |
42 |
Note 1: 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.
Note 2: A person may be convicted for both offences and will appear more than once on the report
For the Deputy's information, conviction data supplied by the Courts is provisional and subject to change pending publication of the Courts Service Annual Report for 2020 later in the year.
782. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of homicides involving a knife that were recorded by An Garda Síochána in each of the years 2015 to 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16404/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 for the management and administration of Garda business. This includes the administration of the PULSE system. As Minister I have no role in these operational matters.
I have requested a report on the information required by the Deputy and have been advised by the Garda authorities that in relation to the information requested, it is not possible to provide an answer.
To obtain the information requested would require a significant effort to examine individual homicide incidents (which include a number of incident types) in order to determine which involved the use of a knife, which would represent a significant expenditure of Garda time and resources.
I have been advised that this is due to the recording of cases involving the use of knives on PULSE, including cases where there was possession of a knife, but it was used to threaten rather than injure. It would not therefore be possible to rely on this information alone to identify where the death occurred as a result of injuries sustained from a knife. Certain information may also only be recorded in investigation files and not within the PULSE narrative, which would not be captured in a search described above of PULSE.
Additionally, as has been noted by the Policing Authority, whilst progress has been made on work arising from the Homicide Investigation Review Team (HIRT), this remains on-going in relation to changes to investigative policies and procedures. The work of the HIRT covered some but not all of the years included in the query and this would affect the comparability of the data over the time period requested.
783. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the amount of funding that was given for knife prevention schemes by her Department in each of the years 2015 to 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16405/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will of course appreciate that knife crime is a serious issue across many jurisdictions. The mission of An Garda Síochána is ‘Keeping People Safe’ and whilst this is a simple message, it is a very deep one, and An Garda Síochána keep policing practices and strategies under review with a view to providing the best possible responses.
The Deputy will be aware that under my recently published Justice Plan 2021, my Department will review existing Garda powers in relation to dangerous weapons, including knives, to ensure they have the necessary legal tools to protect our communities.
We will also focus on analysing existing data, as well as developing new sources of data, and looking at international best practice in this area.
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department provides funding for a wide range of initiatives and projects within the community safety and youth justice areas, including the Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs), which have a funding commitment for 2021 of €17.6m for 105 GYDPs across the State, which is an increase of over €733,000 from 2020.
I will shortly publish a new Youth Justice Strategy which will address the full range of factors in youth offending and will put strengthened community-based supports in place to support and divert young people at risk of crime and anti-social behaviour.
Whilst my Department has no dedicated knife prevention schemes, the GYDPs focus on a range of problematic and anti-social behaviours, including knife crime.
It is important to note that such incidents are rare in our society. The Government, and I as Minister, are committed to ensuring that the problems that we have seen in neighbouring jurisdictions do not repeat themselves here.
I have met with the Commissioner, and we both agree that further work is needed to understand the issue, and we will continue to engage with colleagues in public health to gather more data and establish better data sources.
I would like to assure the public that our streets and communities are safe, and appeal to those who may feel that they need to carry a knife for a sense of protection that it is not necessary to do so.
784. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of knives that have been seized by An Garda Síochána in each of the years 2015 to 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16406/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo be of assistance to the Deputy, I have contacted the Garda Authorities for the information requested and I have been advised that, for the years in question, the number of knives seized by An Garda Síochána are as follows:
|
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
1,346 |
1,199 |
1,613 |
1,931 |
2,142 |
2,243 |
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the 2016-2018 increase in recorded seizures is due in large part to the introduction of the Property and Exhibit Management System (PEMS) in 2016, which improved the level of recording of all objects seized, including knives. The increase may also be partly attributed to the increase in frontline resources due to additional recruitment and redeployment of members following the reopening of the Garda College.
More recently, the increases in seizures are also due to proactive policing operations, particularly during 2020, with the increased Garda presence in support of the COVID-19 public health measures. There was a 4.7% increase in the number of knives seized between 2019 and 2020 (2,142 in 2019 and 2,243 in 2020). There was also a substantial year-on-year increase in the number of searches conducted in 2020 – many of which were associated with An Garda Síochána’s high visibility operations supporting the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated Garda operations (such as Operation Fanacht).
For the Deputy's information, An Garda Síochána has published a report on their website with further analysis of the data above, available at the following link:
https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/publications/general-reports/analysis-of-knife-related-crime-data-february-2021.pdf
In addition, it should be noted that according to HSE data there has been a gradual reduction in people who have been kept in overnight for injuries where they have been assaulted by a knife from the period of 2006 to 2011, where there was on average 243 incidents annually, to an average of 178 incidents per annum between 2015 and 2019.
785. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of knife related injuries that were sustained by members of An Garda Síochána in each of the years 2015 to 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16407/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMinister of State Browne
As the Deputy will appreciate, the Commissioner is responsible under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) for the general management and administration of Garda business. This includes the absence management of Garda members and staff, regardless of the cause of such absence.
I have contacted the Garda authorities for the information requested and have been advised that there are currently no specific sub-categories on the Garda Sickness Absence Management System (SAMS) for the recording of absences due to knife related injuries. As a consequence, it is not possible to isolate specific incidences of absence due to knife related injuries sustained by Garda members from current absence records present on the SAMS.
It is also not possible to extract such information from PULSE, as this would require a manual trawl of incidents and a disproportionate expenditure of time and Garda resources. In addition, assaults on members may be recorded under a number of incident types.
786. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice if consideration has been given to reducing the fees for citizenship applications given Ireland currently has the second most expensive fees in the EU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16408/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fees in relation to applications for a certificate of naturalisation are governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011.
The current application fee is €175, payable when an application for naturalisation is lodged. I am informed that the introduction of the application fee had an immediate positive effect on the quality and completeness of applications, which is ultimately to the benefit of applicants.
A certification fee is payable only when the application is successful and a certificate of naturalisation issues. The standard certification fee is set at €950, while a reduced fee of €200 applies in the case of an application made on behalf of a minor or in certain cases where the application is made by a widow, widower or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen. In the case of recognised refugees and stateless persons, there is no certification fee.
The standard fees payable by an applicant are designed to reflect the effort and cost involved in processing applications for a certificate of naturalisation which, given the benefits involved, is quite a detailed process.
There is no provision for the discretionary waiver or reduction of fees, or for different fees to be applied. All of the fees payable under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, are kept under ongoing review by the Department. However, there are currently no plans to amend the fees.
COVID-19 has unfortunately prevented the holding of our large scale citizenship ceremonies at this time and a temporary statutory declaration system is currently in place since 18 March 2021. 887 certificates have issued to date under the temporary process, with more to follow in the coming weeks and months. It remains my intention that large scale ceremonies will recommence once circumstances allow.
787. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of convictions tied to dissident paramilitary activity that have been processed in each of the years 2015 to 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16409/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra788. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide an assessment on the threat of dissident paramilitary activity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16410/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra789. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the engagements she has had with the Minister of Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to cooperation to target dissident paramilitary activity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16411/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra790. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the engagements she has had with the UK Home Secretary on co-operation to target dissident paramilitary activity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16412/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 787 to 790, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will appreciate, protecting the State and the people from terrorism is one of the highest priorities for the Government and for me as Minister for Justice. The level of threat is kept under constant and active review by An Garda Síochána.
With regard to the threat from paramilitary groups, including the so-called ‘dissident’ groups, while the threat of attack from these groups in the State is generally considered to be low, they nonetheless remain very active here to support attacks in Northern Ireland. Therefore Garda activities to disrupt and prevent actions by these groups continue without cease.
The Gardaí also maintain a high level of ongoing, close co-operation with the PSNI and relevant security services in managing this threat. This operational relationship is central to bearing down on and disrupting the activities of these groups and, therefore, to maintaining security on the island. My officials also maintain ongoing contact with their UK and Northern Ireland counterparts on a regular basis on this and a range of other issues.
There have been a number of successful joint operations between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI and this work is a testament to the perseverance of the services in seeking to combat terrorist activity on the Island.
With regard to the request for statistics setting out the annual number of convictions tied to dissident paramilitary activity, I hope the Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible to provide such statistics. There are inextricable links between the paramilitary groups and organised crime to the point that in some respects it can be difficult to separate them entirely, and it is thus not possible to definitively identify convictions associated with dissident paramilitary activity.
The Offences Against the State Acts are Ireland’s primary counter-terrorism legislation and statistics are publicly available with regard to these Acts. The Courts Service Annual Report provides statistics, including details of proceedings before the Special Criminal Court under the Offences Against the State Act. It must however be noted that prosecutions under that legislation are not solely concerned with dissident paramilitary activity.
The Deputy will also be aware that information relating to certain provisions of the Offences Against the State Act is laid before the Houses annually as part of the renewal process for these sections. This information is contained in the Report on the Operation of Sections 2 to 4, 6 to 12, 14 and 17 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998, pursuant to Section 18(3) of that Act, and it is publicly available in the Oireachtas library. The most recent report provides data from the year 2000 to 31 May 2020.
In terms of recent political engagement, I can inform the Deputy that I had a meeting with the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel last month on a range of issues, including law enforcement cooperation and security matters. I also met last year with Minister James Brokenshire, Minister of State at the UK Home Office with responsibility for Security. I have had several meetings to date with the Minister for Justice Naomi Long, which involved discussions on security and police cooperation matters and our Departments also jointly hosted the 18th Cross Border Organised Crime conference, which was held virtually last December.
