Written Answers Nos. 167-186
167. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total amount spent each year on each form of apprenticeship support since 2006, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18865/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy in relation to the total amount spent each year on each form of apprenticeship support since 2006 is being compiled by SOLAS. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
168. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the rates of support for an apprentice under each support scheme since 2006, in tabular form; and if he has considered increasing the level of apprentice supports given the cost-of-living crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18866/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy in relation to the rates of support for an apprentice under each support scheme since 2006 is being compiled by SOLAS. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
169. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average cost to the Exchequer for each craft apprentice and consortia-led apprentice each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18867/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed under the Action Plan to working with employers to promote, enable, and support the recruitment and training of apprentices. There is a very substantial allocation of resources to apprenticeships drawing on the funding raised through the Employer Training Levy into the National Training Fund. Therefore, apprenticeships are not a direct cost to the exchequer.
In 2019, the last pre-Covid full year, registrations were at 6,177. 2020 saw 5,326 registrations, and by 2021 there were a record 8,607 registrations. The associated expenditure for those years was €160m in 2019, €184 in 2020, and €198m in 2021. The 2022 budget allocation for apprenticeship is €206m.
Calculating a cost-per-apprentice is a complex matter involving fixed costs, such as programme development costs, and variable costs per participating apprentice. The nature of specific apprenticeships is also an influencing factor. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published a Spending Review of Apprenticeships in 2019. This estimated the average annual cost per apprentice in craft apprenticeships at €7,159 and €9,877 for consortia-led programmes.
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170. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the anticipated number of fully qualified tradespeople to have completed apprenticeships in 2022; the number in the construction sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18868/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCraft apprenticeships account for 25 of the 64 existing available apprenticeship programmes. They comprise of a standard seven phase programme of alternating on-the-job and off-the-job phases. The off-the-job training for these programmes is delivered in Training Centres, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities
The full estimated projected figure of fully qualified tradespeople for 2022 is 2,670, of which 1,929 are anticipated across the construction family of trades (inclusive of the electrical apprenticeship programme).
The actual certification figure will depend on several factors throughout the year and will be confirmed at the end of 2022.
171. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the set that his Department is taking to address low registration levels in certain construction-related trades; the apprenticeships that are being targeted in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18869/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraA key objective of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is to ensure that the apprenticeship system will increase its contribution to meeting Ireland’s skills and human capital requirements by delivering on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025
There are currently 64 apprenticeship programmes on offer ranging from levels 5-10 on the National Framework of Qualifications: 25 craft programmes and 39 consortia programmes introduced since 2016. These range in duration from 2-4 years.
Among the 64 apprenticeships, construction related programmes include electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery, plastering, painting and decorating and the recently launched scaffolding apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are also in development in roofing and cladding (L5) and advanced quantity surveyor (L9).
In recent years, annual intake in construction related apprenticeships has steadily been increasing, from a low of 650 in 2010 rising to 3,499 in 2019. In 2021, a record 8,607 new apprentices were registered. This was an almost 40% increase on the figures from 2019, the last “normal” pre-pandemic year. 6,955 of these registrations were in craft apprenticeships, and of these, 5,181 were in construction and electrical apprenticeships.
As of February 2022 (the latest full month figures available), there have been 887 craft apprenticeship registrations, with 701 of these in construction related programmes. This is an increase on January 2022 figures where there were 468 craft apprenticeships registrations, of which 379 were in construction-related programmes.
172. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice if, in the context of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022, consideration has been given to the establishment of a judicial college given the prevalence of same in other jurisdictions and the potential role of same given the identified training needs in relation to proposed and existing legislation. [18425/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, training of judges is not a Ministerial function.
The General Scheme of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022, which was approved by Government last week, includes a provision that candidates for judicial appointment will be required to show they have undertaken judicial training or continuous professional development.
Amongst the functions of the Judicial Council established under the Judicial Council Act 2019 is to “develop and manage schemes for the education and training of judges”. Section 17 of the 2019 Act provides for the establishment of a Judicial Studies Committee.
That Committee was established on 10 February 2020. As per Section 6 of the Judicial Council Act the Judicial Council is, subject to the provisions of the Act, independent in the exercise of its functions.
As Minister for Justice, I have no role in relation to the operation of the Council or its Committees.
173. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice if she will address visa difficulties experienced by a person (details supplied). [18428/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person referred to by the Deputy created an on-line Preclearance – Join Family (Irish national)(de facto partner) visa application on 21 October 2021. The supporting documentation and relevant fees were received on 17 November 2021 in the Chicago Office. This visa application was forwarded to my Department's Dublin Visa Office for further processing, and was received on the 6 December 2021, where it is currently awaiting comprehensive examination.
To be fair to all applicants, applications are processed in the order in which they are received in the Preclearance Unit in Dublin. The person concerned can be assured that there will be no avoidable delay in finalising their application and they will be notified as soon as a decision has been reached by a Visa Officer.
The Visa Office in Dublin is currently processing applications of this type received on 1 November 2021. Applicants can keep up-to-date with the dates the Dublin Office is processing applications by checking the following webpage; which is updated weekly:
www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions/
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 (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 is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
174. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of reports of human trafficking received by gardaí in each of the past ten years; the number of persons charged with human trafficking offences in the same time period; the number of persons convicted of human trafficking offences in the same time period; and the number of ongoing criminal or legal cases which relate to suspected human trafficking (details supplied). [18461/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraHuman trafficking is a particularly heinous crime, based on deception and exploitation of vulnerable people.
This Government is serious about preventing and prosecuting for human trafficking. We are confident that the victim-centred policy approach we are taking will encourage more victims to come forward which will, in turn, strengthen prosecutions and convictions.
There are two areas of progress in particular that I wish to highlight.
The first is the approval by Government to revise the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and to place it on a statutory footing.
The NRM provides a way for all agencies, both State and civil society, to co-operate, share information about potential victims, identify those victims and facilitate their access to advice, accommodation and support.
Currently, when suspected victims of human trafficking are encountered by, or referred to, An Garda Síochána they are provided with a wide range of services by both the Government and NGOs through the NRM. It is widely accepted that having the Gardaí as the sole competent authority for the formal recognition of people as victims of human trafficking is not the optimal system.
The new approach acknowledges other state bodies and NGOs have a role in identifying victims of human trafficking and referring them to the NRM.
We want to be sure that every victim of trafficking is identified and helped so we can support them. Doing this will also help us gather more information and evidence in order to bring to justice the traffickers who prey on vulnerable people with no regard for the lives and safety of their victims.
I also want to note the development of a new National Action Plan on human trafficking. A consultant has produced a short and focused analysis of the current position in relation to human trafficking in Ireland. The analysis includes a research review, a synopsis of the extent of trafficking in Ireland and a summary of issues to address.
My Department is now engaged with a working group to draft the new National Action Plan high-level goals and outcomes. Work is progressing with the aim to have a plan approved by Government by the end of May.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that a search of the PULSE database was conducted on 4 April 2022 to identify any charge created since 1 January 2010 whereby an offence contrary to either the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act, 2000 or the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act, 2008 was referenced. The total number of unique charges created since 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2021 per legislative act is as follows:
|
Legislative Act |
Total Charges |
|
Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act, 2000 |
72 |
|
Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act, 2008 |
122 |
|
Grand Total |
194 |
I am further advised that in addition to the above, there were 377 incidents of Human Trafficking Offences reported and investigated which either remain under investigation or in which charges under other legislation have been created to date. These include:
1. Any incident of PULSE category “Human Trafficking” which includes the following types:
- Labour Exploitation - Person Other Than A Child
- Sexual Exploitation - Person Other Than A Child
- Labour Exploitation Of A Child
- Sexual Exploitation Of A Child
- Soliciting or Importuning for Prostitution
- Other Offences
2. Any incident of PULSE category ‘Miscellaneous’ and of type ‘Human Trafficking Offences’
Information provided is taken from PULSE as of 4 April 2022 and is operational and may be liable to change. Crime counting rules have been applied to the incident count.
The Courts Service has provided me with the following statistics on the number of persons and number of offences before the courts/sent forward for trial and where convictions were recorded in the District Court from Jan 2010 to 28 February 2022. I am advised that It is not possible to provide statistics back 10 years in the short time provided.
Note 1: Many of those offences have been sent forward for trial to the Circuit Court. At this time, the system in use by the Courts Service in the Circuit Courts is ("ICMS") a lotus notes database and cannot produce reports for specific offences. The only reports which are available are by offence category rather than for individual offences and categories of offences can contain multiple offences.
Note 2: 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.
|
YEAR |
Offence |
No of offences before the Courts |
No of Persons before the Court |
No of Offences sent forward for Trial |
No of Persons sent forward for Trial |
No of offences convicted in District Court |
No of Persons convicted in District Court |
|
Jan - Dec 2010 |
Sexually Exploit a Child |
17 |
2 |
17 |
2 |
||
|
Jan - Dec 2011 |
Take/Detain/Restrict Liberty of a Child for Sexual Exploitation |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Sexually Exploit a Child |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|||
|
Jan - Dec 2012 |
Sexually Exploit a Child |
18 |
7 |
18 |
7 |
||
|
Jan - Dec 2012 |
Trafficking of a Child for the Purposes of Sexual Exploitation |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Sexually Exploit a Child |
27 |
12 |
25 |
11 |
|||
|
Purchase/Make Offer To Purchase an Adult |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
Jan - Dec 2014 |
Sexually Exploit a Child |
14 |
5 |
12 |
3 |
||
|
Jan - Dec 2015 |
Trafficking of a Child for the Purposes of Sexual Exploitation |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Sexually Exploit a Child |
19 |
9 |
17 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Attempt to Sexually Exploit a Child |
4 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
|||
|
Jan - Dec 2016 |
Take/Detain/Restrict Liberty of a Child for Sexual Exploitation |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Sexually Exploit a Child |
37 |
15 |
34 |
13 |
|||
|
Jan - Dec 2017 |
Trafficking of a Child for the Purposes of Sexual Exploitation |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Sexually Exploit a Child |
93 |
22 |
84 |
21 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Attempt to Sexually Exploit a Child |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
Trafficking of an Adult |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|||
|
Jan - Dec 2018 |
Sexually Exploit a Child |
138 |
20 |
133 |
19 |
1 |
1 |
|
Jan - Dec 2019 |
Take/Detain/Restrict Liberty of a Child for Sexual Exploitation |
104 |
1 |
104 |
1 |
||
|
Sexually Exploit a Child |
221 |
31 |
220 |
30 |
|||
|
Trafficking of an Adult |
8 |
4 |
8 |
4 |
|||
|
Jan - Dec 2020 |
Take/Detain/Restrict Liberty of a Child for Sexual Exploitation |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Sexually Exploit a Child |
149 |
27 |
146 |
25 |
|||
|
Cause Another Person to Sexually Exploit a Child |
6 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
|||
|
Attempt to Sexually Exploit a Child |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
Jan – Dec 2021 |
Sexually Exploit a Child |
272 |
14 |
272 |
14 |
||
|
Attempt to Sexually Exploit a Child |
8 |
3 |
8 |
3 |
|||
|
Trafficking of an Adult |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
|||
|
Jan – Feb 2022 |
Sexually Exploit a Child |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Attempt to Take/Detain/Restrict Liberty of a Child for Sexual Exploitation |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
175. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Justice her views on the recent European Commission recommendation urging member states to immediately repeal existing investor citizenship schemes and to ensure that strong checks are in place to address the risks posed by investor residence schemes (details supplied); her plans to immediately repeal all existing Irish schemes in view of this recommendation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18470/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra177. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Justice her views on a recent report by the European Parliament (details supplied) which calls for the European Union to ban the sale of citizenship by investment schemes and to regulate residence by investment schemes; her plans to ban the sale of citizenship by investment schemes and to regulate residence by investment schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18499/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 177 together.
I am aware of the recent European Parliament report referred to by the Deputy.
Prior to this report being launched, I had recently instructed that no further applications from Russian citizens will be accepted into the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP). Since the Programme was introduced in 2012, there have only been three applications made by Russian nationals under the Programme and there are currently no Russian beneficiaries or applications to the scheme.
The IIP was introduced in April 2012 to encourage inward investment and create business and employment opportunities in the State. The programme provides investors with the opportunity to invest in Ireland. Key to the programme is that the investments are beneficial for Ireland, generate or sustain employment and are generally in the public interest. Over 1,400 applications have been successful under the IIP to date with the value of investments approved over €1bn.
The IIP is not a visa scheme or a citizenship scheme. It offers successful applicants a Stamp 4 Immigration permission for themselves and their immediate family members for an initial two year period and is renewed thereafter subject to the scheme’s criteria being met.
Therefore, given the significant immigration benefits accruing and to ensure the highest degree of transparency and accountability for the programme, all applications are subject to enhanced levels of due diligence processes in respect of both personal and financial checks to protect the State's interests.
All immigration schemes are kept under constant review.
176. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice the efforts that have been made to promote the Government’s undocumented scheme within International Protection Accommodation Services accommodation centres through the means of visits, posters and so on. [18490/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe International Protection strand of the Regularisation Scheme opened for applications on 7 February 2022. Applications will be accepted for six months to 7 August 2022.
The International Protection Office of my Department wrote to approximately 4,000 potentially eligible applicants inviting them to apply. This included applicants living in accommodation provided by International Protection Accommodation Services of the Department of Children Equality Disability Integration and Youth.
To date, more than 1,300 applications have been made to this strand of the scheme.
Full details on the eligibility requirements and on how to apply can be found on the IPO website at: www.ipo.gov.ie/en/ipo/pages/whatsnew .
178. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons employed at the Legal Services Regulatory Authority by grade in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18549/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra179. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Justice the annual cost of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority in each of the past three years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18550/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) is an independent body responsible for the regulation of the legal professions under the provisions of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015.
Since 2019, the Authority has been funded by way of an annual levy on the legal profession based on actual expenditure in the preceding year, in accordance with Part 7 of the Act. It has also been in receipt of advances from my Department of €1 million each year, in accordance with Section 32.
The total expenditure of the Authority for the years 2019-2021, based on the Authority’s financial statements, is outlined in the table below.
LSRA Expenditure by Year 2019 to 2021
|
Year |
Total Expenditure |
|
1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019 |
€1,741,493 |
|
1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020 |
€3,351,546 |
|
1 Jan 2021 – 31 Dec 2021 |
€4,202,039 |
The Deputy may wish to note that the increase in the Authority’s expenditure covers a period when the Authority, having been established in October 2016, was becoming fully operational and was increasing its capacity to undertake a range of statutory functions. Further details can be found in the Authority's Annual Reports, annual accounts, and other publications, which are publicly available on its website www.lsra.ie.
Additionally, under the terms of the 2015 Act, the Authority appoints its own staff with the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. However, to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the LSRA has provided me with the information in the table below.
LSRA Staff Resources as at 05 April 2022
|
Grade |
Number of Staff (Full Time Equivalent) |
|
Assistant Secretary |
1 |
|
Principal Officer |
2 |
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
6 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
7 |
|
Administrative Officer |
1 |
|
Executive Officer |
2 |
|
Clerical Officer |
11 |
|
State Solicitor |
9 |
|
Office Manager |
1 |
I am also informed that the Authority seconds a small number of staff to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
180. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Justice the options open to a person (details supplied) in view of their circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18559/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person referred to by the Deputy currently holds a Stamp 3 immigration permission. This has been extended until 31 May 2022, under the automatic extension of immigration permissions I announced on 17 December 2021. All permissions have been extended on the same terms and conditions as the permission already held.
It is open to the person concerned to contact their local Immigration Office before 31 May 2022 to apply for a further renewal of their immigration permission. I strongly recommend that they make efforts to renew their permission as early as possible rather than waiting until May when demand for appointments will be significantly greater.
The person concerned can also write to the Domestic Residence and Permissions Unit of my Department to request a change of immigration permission to a Stamp 4, if they meet the required criteria.
Detailed information on the criteria for changing an immigration permission, including instructions on how to change that permission, are available on my Department's immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/changing-your-immigration-permission/ .
Depending on the immigration permission held by their parents, they may also wish to consider if they are eligible to make an application for citizenship by way of naturalisation. Further details are available 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.
181. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if all those who have fled Ukraine and are seeking refuge will be welcomed in the same manner to Ireland regardless of their birthplace; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18571/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EU Temporary Protection Directive has been activated in response to the Ukraine crisis. Ireland participates in this measure, which has been given legal effect under Section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015.
Those eligible for Temporary Protection (granted initially for one year on a renewable basis) will have immediate access to the labour market, social welfare, accommodation and other State supports as necessary.
Under the Council Implementing Decision (EU 2022/382), those who have fled Ukraine can avail of a temporary protection to reside in Ireland if they meet one of the following criteria:
a) They are a Ukrainian national who was residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022;
b) They are a national of a third country (other than Ukraine) or a stateless person who would have benefited from international protection (for example: Refugee status) or an equivalent national protection status in Ukraine and were residing there before 24 February 2022;
c) They are a family member of persons covered by a) and b), where their family already existed in Ukraine, prior to 24 February.
Family members include a spouse or partner, unmarried minor children of either of them, and their other close dependent family relatives who have been living with them as part of the family unit.
Temporary protection also applies to people who were residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 with a permanent Ukrainian residence permit, who cannot safely return to their country of origin.
Other people who were legally residing in Ukraine without a permanent residence permit will be assisted to return to their country of origin, if it is safe for them to do so.
Since I lifted the visa requirements for those entering Ireland from Ukraine on 25 February, some 18,600 people have entered Ireland from Ukraine and my Department has already processed more than 15,600 temporary protection permissions.
People who are from a country that is visa-required, will still need to apply for a visa to travel to the State. Anyone who wishes to make a visa application must do so online at:
www.visas.inis.gov.ie/avats/OnlineHome.aspx
I can assure the Deputy that my Government colleagues and I will continue to work with our EU counterparts on any further EU-wide measures that might be needed to assist those fleeing Ukraine.
182. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Justice the way that a person (details supplied) can proceed to get an extension to their residence permit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18618/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that my Department has contacted his Office directly to obtain the contact details of the person concerned. This will allow my officials to contact the person directly and to make arrangements to have their temporary protection permission letter issued to them.
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 (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 is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
183. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 781 of 14 March 2022, if she will provide the information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18645/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra184. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No.782 of 22 March 2022, if she will provide the full list of companies approved under the Immigrant Investor Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18646/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy in relation to applications by Russian nationals to the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) for the period 2016 to date is set out in the table below.
|
Year |
Applications Received |
Applications Approved |
Applications Refused |
Withdrawn applications |
REIT applications |
Endowment applications |
Amount invested |
|
2016 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
€0.00 |
|
2017 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
€0.00 |
|
2018 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
€0.00 |
|
2020 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
€0.00 |
|
2021 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
€0.00 |
|
2022 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
€0.00 |
I have recently instructed that no further applications from Russian citizens will be accepted into the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) and there are currently no Russian beneficiaries or applications to the scheme.
Over 1,400 applications have been successful under the IIP to date with the value of investments approved over €1bn. My Department does not currently publish the individual details of approved IIP investments.
The programme was introduced in April 2012 to encourage inward investment and create business and employment opportunities in the State. The programme provides investors with the opportunity to invest in Ireland. Key to the programme is that the investments are beneficial for Ireland, generate or sustain employment and are generally in the public interest.
The IIP is not a visa scheme or a citizenship scheme. It offers successful applicants a Stamp 4 Immigration permission for themselves and their immediate family members for an initial two year period and is renewed thereafter subject to the scheme’s criteria being met.
Therefore, given the significant immigration benefits accruing and to ensure the highest degree of transparency and accountability for the programme, all applications are subject to enhanced levels of due diligence processes in respect of both personal and financial checks to protect the State's interests.
185. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Justice her views on the right of family members of European Union citizens under European Union Directive 2004/38/EC to accompany an European Union citizen exercising their free movement rights in Europe; if this includes the right to accompany an European Union citizen to Ireland, for example, the spouse of the European Union citizen; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18677/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn general terms, I can advise the Deputy that all EU citizens have the right to exercise free movement once they provide a valid passport or National I.D. card.
A spouse will have the same right if they are in possession of a valid residence card issued under Article 10 of the Directive 2004/38/EC. If they do not, they may be required to apply for a visa to enter the intended State.
If they are looking to exercise rights, under Directive 2004/38/EC, in Ireland, they will be required to provide a number of proofs to show that they qualify. These proofs are clearly identified in the Directive and are also available in Statutory Instrument. No. 548 of 2015. It is under this S.I. that Directive 2004/38/EC has been transposed into Irish law.
Applications from ‘qualifying family members’ are processed on an accelerated basis. While every effort is made to process these applications within a reasonable time frame, processing times will vary depending on the volume of applications, their complexity and the resources available.
Applications from ‘permitted family members’ are not subject to the accelerated process and may take considerably longer when the provision of additional documentation is requested or a detailed assessment is required.
Further details are available on my Department's immigration website at:
www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/
186. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Justice the status of the development of an online portal for the submission of video footage of dangerous driving, as committed to in Vision Zero, the road safety strategy for 2021-2030. [18732/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the development and implementation of road traffic legislation and policy, including the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, and the promotion and advancement of road safety, falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Transport. An Garda Síochána plays a vital role in enforcing road traffic law and in making our roads safer for all road users, including vulnerable road users.
The Garda Commissioner is responsible by law for the management of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters, deployment of resources and the provision of IT infrastructure. As Minister, I have no responsibility for these matters.
As regards the establishment of a dedicated online portal for the submission of video evidence of potential violations of road traffic legislation, the Deputy may be aware that the current Traffic Watch facility allows for members of the public to report driver behaviour to An Garda Síochána. Matters reported via this facility are forwarded to the relevant District Office for investigation. Similarly, citizens may make complaints to any member of An Garda Síochána or through the Garda website.
Under Action 29 of the Road Safety Strategy, An Garda Síochána will explore the potential of an online portal for road users to upload footage of road traffic offences which could assist in prosecution. This action is due to be completed by Q4 of this year.
As the Deputy will appreciate, there are strict standards in legislation relating to photographic evidence obtained by Gardaí. While An Garda Síochána has confirmed that private dash cam footage may be used during a prosecution, its use must be in accordance with best evidential practices and entails ensuring structures exist around continuity of evidence.
The Department of Transport has advised that any decision to allow film by members of the public to be used in evidence in road traffic cases would raise questions of reliability of, and possible tampering with, the apparatus used, as well as potential privacy issues. It might also raise questions about why Garda apparatus was held to a standard not required of private individuals, if both were ultimately to be treated as reliable evidence.
Road traffic enforcement remains a core policing function of An Garda Síochána. The Garda National Roads Policing Bureau ensures a consistent approach to road safety and enforcement of road traffic legislation across the country. This is achieved through coordination of enforcement measures and development of policy based on research and analysis of statistics and by engaging in campaigns in partnership with other State Agencies, notably the Road Safety Authority.
It is also important to emphasise that road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of all members of An Garda Síochána, in addition to the employment of specific enforcement operations.
I would of course encourage any member of the public to report any incidents of dangerous driving directly to An Garda Síochána.
