Written Answers Nos. 41-60
41. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide details of funding, resources and so on that are available in Budget 2023 for the domestic violence sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51377/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra73. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide a detailed breakdown of domestic violence funding for his Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50611/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 73 together.
Tackling Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (DSGBV) is an absolute priority for me as Minister for Justice. This includes focusing on prevention and on providing victim-centred supports and services.
I recently published Zero Tolerance: the Third National Strategy to combat DSGBV. The goal is clear: zero tolerance in Irish society for any form of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.As I am sure the Deputy is aware, following an independent audit of responsibility for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, it was agreed that responsibility for service provision, as well as for policy, should sit together under the remit of my Department. Government also agreed to establish a new statutory agency which will be operation in 2024 and which will ensure this priority area continues to receive the expertise and focus needed to drive it forward.
Under Budget 2023 I was able to secure an extra €9 million for 2023, a 22% increase, for combatting domestic, sexual and gender based violence. This will also support the implementation of the Zero Tolerance plan.This €9 million includes increased funding of €7 million for organisations funded by TUSLA to address acute service demands in existing services throughout the country, and for investment in new services as outlined in Zero Tolerance. This funding also strengthens the nationwide supports, and will help to maintain the momentum in implementing the ambitious goals set out in the national strategy.In total, Tusla has been allocated €37 million for funding DSGBV services which includes the additional €7 million in funding I was able to secure. Separate to the funding of DSGBV services, my own Department has allocated €6.09 million for measures to tackle DSGBV, including through awareness raising campaigns and funding for perpetrator programmes.Mt Department has allocated a further €5.8 million for providing funding to promote and assist the development of specific support services for victims of crime within the criminal justice system, which of course includes victims of domestic and sexual crime.As part of the MOU covering the transition of DSGBV Services to the new DSGBV agency, my Department, Tusla and Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will be identifying key priorities for the additional €7m allocated to Tusla to maintain the existing service level, to address acute demands and for new services. This will be based on engagement with the DSGBV sector and priorities set out in the third national strategy.Tusla will be engaging with funded DSGBV organisations on service and funding agreements for 2023 over the coming weeks. Specific funding to individual organisations will be agreed as part of that process and further information on how money is allocated will be available after that process has finished.
42. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice the actions that she has taken and plans to take in response to the substantial shortcomings found on handling of 999 calls; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52404/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAny inappropriate cancellation of 999 calls is a very serious issue which falls significantly below the high standards that the public expect from Gardaí and the high standards that An Garda Síochána set for themselves.
I welcome the publication of the final report by independent expert, Derek Penman which was commissioned by the Policing Authority in July 2021.
The most important thing now is that we consider the report and learn from it so that no person who falls victim to a crime, or finds themselves in any emergency situation, ever has any reason to feel less than 100% confident in contacting the emergency services.
I welcome the apology that has already been made by the Garda Commissioner on this matter and the fact that AGS has accepted the findings of the Report. I am advised by the Garda authorities that an appropriate disciplinary process is being followed in respect of certain aspects of the issues identified.
The Commissioner has further assured me that when someone calls 999 now, they can expect and trust that An Garda Síochána will help. New measures and controls are in place to ensure that callers receive the service they deserve and that call-takers have access to all the supports they need to carry out their challenging roles appropriately. This will continue to be the subject of close attention by Garda management.
43. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the fact that an organisation (details supplied) has submitted a report to the UN highlighting the case of a person, recommending that the investigation include consideration of issues of race and discrimination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52408/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI want to once again extend my sympathies to the family concerned on the tragic death of their son and brother. I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputy.
As the Deputy will be aware, the shooting of Mr. George Nkencho is being fully investigated by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), which is the independent statutory body established to investigate such incidents. This is the case with every incident involving the Gardaí that results in the death or serious harm of a person. I understand this investigation is ongoing.
I am advised by GSOC that it has deployed significant resources to this investigation. I am further advised that the investigation is at an advanced stage, but that it is not possible at this time to give an estimate of the time that the remaining steps in the investigation will take.
I am further advised that legal proceedings have been initiated against the State in this case and in these circumstances it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.
44. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide an update on plans to refurbish Wicklow District Courthouse; when it is anticipated that works will commence; the timeframe for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51940/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe development of a new permanent courthouse in Wicklow is identified as a Courts Service project in the National Development Plan.
As the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts, is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in the performance of its functions.However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have made enquiries and the Courts Service has provided me with the following update.The Government's revised National Development Plan 2021 -2030 includes a number of Courts Service projects to be completed during the period of the plan, including in Wicklow Town. The priority project for the period up to 2025 is the proposed new Family Law complex on Hammond Lane.Specifically in relation to Wicklow Town, I am informed that the existing courthouse is in very poor condition and has been closed on health and safety grounds since 2010. All court business is currently being dealt with at Bray. A courthouse comprising four courtrooms and related facilities is envisaged as being required to meet current and future demand in Wicklow. This will require a building significantly larger than the existing two courtroom building.The Courts Service proposes to refurbish and extend the courthouse to provide the required accommodation. The Courts Service has acquired a number of adjoining properties that were in council ownership so as to have available a larger site capable of accommodating a courthouse building on the scale envisaged.I am informed that the OPW has recently undertaken some works to preserve the aesthetic appearance of the exterior of the existing Courthouse in Wicklow Town. The front façade of the building was power washed and treated, all doors and windows were painted and the external railings were painted.
45. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice if she will account for the long delays faced by non-EU PhD researchers when applying for their yearly stamp; and if her Department will consider conducting a review of visa renewals for PhDs, to allow for essential work-related travel year-round for the duration of all candidates' PhDs. [51681/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's Registration Office in Burgh Quay is responsible for registering and renewing immigration permissions for customers residing in the Dublin area only. Registrations and renewals for persons resident outside of the Dublin area are processed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) through the Garda Station network. The allocation of appointments for registration and renewal with GNIB, for some 50 locations nationwide, is a matter for An Garda Síochána.
Any person registering for the first time is required to attend at their local registration office in person and, as part of my Department’s ongoing work to meet the demand for first-time registration appointments at its Burgh Quay office, on 10 January 2022, a Freephone service (1800 800 630) was introduced for customers. So far this year, the Registration Office of my Department has issued and processed over 50,000 first time registration appointments.
Additionally, if a non-EEA national is residing in the Dublin area and has an existing valid permission to be in the State, then they do not need to seek an appointment to attend in person to renew their permission. An online renewal facility was launched in July 2020 to processes renewals and there has been 173,000 approx. registrations renewed online since the facility was launched. There is currently a 3 week processing time for online renewal of permissions at present. All persons over the age of 16 are issued with an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) Card which displays details of the permission granted, the conditions attaching and the expiry date of the permission.
I have also checked with EURAXESS Ireland who processes PhD researcher Hosting Agreements on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. They have advised that there is no significant delay in the processing of applications or renewals of contracts with eligible participants with most applications dealt with in a matter of days.
Where a Non EEA National is in procession of an in date IRP card they are free to travel from and return to the State. However, when travelling abroad they should check for any visa requirements or other immigration requirements for their intended destination.
If any non-EEA national PhD student has a particular concern on their individual immigration application, they can contact the Immigration Service Helpdesk by emailing immigrationsupport@justice.ie who will endeavour to assist.
46. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Justice if she has engaged with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to consider legislative and policy measures to prevent the recording of and subsequent sharing of videos of acts of violence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52366/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI welcome the measures set out in the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill being brought forward by my colleague, Minister Catherine Martin, T.D., particularly the creation of an Online Safety Commissioner and the scope to create binding codes of conduct in relation to harmful content.
The Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill will establish a Media Commission to replace the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and provide for the appointment of an Online Safety Commissioner who will oversee the establishment of a regulatory framework for online safety.
Under the framework, the Online Safety Commissioner will devise online safety codes requiring certain designated online services to operate appropriate systems and processes to minimise the availability of some of the most serious forms of harmful online content. Such content will include certain criminal material, including a number of relevant offences from the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 and the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997.
In respect of videos of violent acts that also meet the definition of terrorist content, the EU Regulation on addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online provides a statutory basis for the removal of such content from the internet by EU Member States’ competent authorities. I was pleased to support the enactment of this Regulation last year. In Ireland’s case, it is intended that An Garda Síochána will act as the national authority for issuing such removal orders to hosting service providers.
With regards to the sharing of videos of acts of violence on social media and messaging apps, An Garda Síochána regularly issue statements through the Garda Press Office and on social media advising members of the public not to share such videos due to their sensitive nature with respect to the family and friends of victims and because they can be unhelpful to Garda investigations.
47. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice if she will outline the expected completion date for the procurement process and opening date of the domestic violence refuge accommodation centre in County Laois. [51841/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra74. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice if she will outline the budget allocated for the provision of a domestic violence refuge accommodation centre in County Laois. [51840/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 74 together.
I'm informed by Tusla that a group involving local stakeholders, including the Laois Domestic Abuse Service, has been established to take forward plans to develop the proposed refuge and associated support services.
Planning is not yet sufficiently advanced to identify the specific amount of either capital or revenue funding required. Nor is planning sufficiently advanced to identify the specific timelines for completion of the refuge, but Tusla and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be working with local stakeholders to support and expedite the process.
As I'm sure the Deputy can appreciate, due to the variations in sites, resources available and specific local features, the costs for each of the planned refuge developments will be considered on a case by case basis, with decisions on funding to be supported into the future, by work being progressed nationally to develop principles for refuge design.
Tusla will continue to engage with stakeholders to support the refuge development process in Co. Laois.
In 2022, the Laois Domestic Abuse Service was allocated €281,440, with €79,000 additional funding to strengthen its capacity for the provision of supports to women and further development of services to children impacted by domestic abuse.
Additional resources such as project management support and other supports for capacity building will be made available to the Laois Domestic Abuse Service and other organisations taking forward refuge developments in the 12 priority locations, as outlined in the Third National Strategy.
48. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Justice the position regarding the development of an online portal through which citizens can report traffic offences, as positively referenced by An Garda Síochána at a recent Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice; if it will be enabled through the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52432/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that 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 of course 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, you 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. I understand that on 04 October 2022, Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman gave the Joint Committee on Justice an update on this Action, and indicated An Garda Síochána’s commitment to the portal.
In relation to whether or not an online portal will be enabled through the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022, I can inform the Deputy that the legal advice made available to me indicates that specific legislative provisions will not be required for an online portal. Section 41 of the Data Protection Act 2018 provides a lawful basis for personal data collected for one purpose to be processed for another purpose, where such onward processing is for the purpose of the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of criminal offences.
Therefore, members of the public who collect dashcam footage are entitled to pass it on to An Garda Síochána, and An Garda Síochána is entitled to process it for the law enforcement purposes mentioned. An Garda Síochána would need to process such data in line with its data protection obligations generally and would be required to put guidelines in place for dealing with the data obtained, its retention and destruction.I am assured that 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.
49. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Justice the current progress of the promised legislation on duty of care in relation to occupier’s liability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51941/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraInsurance reform is a key priority for this Government and is reflected in the Programme for Government, the Government’s Action Plan for Insurance Reform, and in my Justice Plan 2022.
This is a whole-of-Government effort. My Department has responsibility or part responsibility for 34 of the 66 actions contained in the Action Plan, 26 of which are now complete, including the introduction of the Personal Injuries Guidelines, the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021 and the establishment of the Insurance Fraud Coordination Office, which was opened by An Garda Síochána in July 2021.
In May of this year, I received Government approval to reform duty of care legislation, which is a key insurance reform measure and an important part of the Government’s Action Plan.
I am proposing to amend a number of sections of the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1995, in line with the Government policy objective of restricting the liability of occupiers. I believe these proposals strike the right balance between ensuring that businesses, community groups and organisers of events fulfil their duty of care responsibilities, while also acknowledging the importance of personal responsibility of visitors, recreational users and trespassers.
The proposed amendments, which build on a Review Paper prepared by my Department in February 2021, and subsequently published, contain four key developments:
- they will reflect in primary legislation a number of recent court decisions which rebalance the duty of care owed by occupiers to visitors and recreational users;
- they change the standard to clarify that when the occupier of a property has acted with reckless disregard for a recreational user or trespasser, the standard of reckless disregard rather than that of reasonable grounds should apply in relation to any consideration of liability;
- they limit the circumstances in which a court can impose liability on the occupier of a premises where a person has entered onto premises for the purpose of committing an offence; and
- they allow for a broader circumstances where it can be shown that a visitor or recreational user has voluntarily assumed a risk.
The amendments will be brought before the House as Committee Stage Amendments to the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022, which completed second stage in the Dáil yesterday.
50. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the steps that are being taken to address the lack of judges in the Irish legal system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51006/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is a priority for my Department to ensure that the courts are resourced to administer justice efficiently and effectively for citizens in their access to justice. The Government endeavours to fill judicial vacancies at the earliest opportunity, and a number of such vacancies have been filled recently.
In order to bring more strategic focus to this, I established a Judicial Planning Working Group in April 2021, in line with commitments in the Programme for Government and the Justice Plan action to “Establish a working group to consider the number of and type of judges required to ensure the efficient administration of justice over the next five years”. Future judicial resourcing needs will be informed by the report and recommendations of this Group.To help support the work of this Group, the OECD were commissioned to prepare an independent review of judicial resources, including benchmarks against international comparators. This is the first time such a review has been undertaken. Due to the complexity of evaluating the data and analysis underpinning the research, it has taken longer than originally anticipated for the OECD to complete its work. A draft final report from the OECD is currently under review by my officials. The Judicial Planning Working Group expects to submit its final report to me shortly, having considered the OECD research.As an interim measure, the Government increased the number of judges in the High Court from 37 to 42 last year with the enactment of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021.In addition, section 8 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 provided for the number of High Court judges to be exceeded by a further one should the Government, at my request, having consulted with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, form the opinion that it was necessary due to the volume of business and to ensure the efficient administration of justice. I brought a Memorandum to Government on 19 January 2022, with a recommendation to have that additional High Court post filled.With that appointment to the High Court, the complement of High Court judges is now six more than it was on 1 October 2021. This represents one of the largest increases in judges in recent memory and a very significant investment by the State in judicial resources.
51. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide the probation services the resources they need to expand the strive programme in the Ballymun sub-district as recommended in the "Ballymun a Brighter Future Report"; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52123/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra61. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice when she intends to respond to the recommendations in the "Ballymun a Brighter Future Report" commissioned by Dublin City Council and presented to the Taoiseach at the Dublin North West area Joint Policing Committee in July 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52122/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 61 together.
As previously advised, I very much welcome the publication of the 'Ballymun - a Brighter Future' report which was commissioned by Dublin City Council following a request by the Deputy when he was the Lord Mayor of Dublin.
The key recommendations of this report recognise that working with communities to address underlying causes of criminality require a whole-of-systems approach.
As the Deputy will already be aware, the Department of Health leads on Government policy in the area of drugs, and this policy is guided by the national drugs and alcohol strategy, "Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery - a health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025". This strategy represents a whole-of-Government response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland. The implementation of the strategy is led by my colleague, the Minister for Health, however, the strategy contains actions for all stakeholders, including my Department and An Garda Síochána.
Of the recommendations in Ballymun - a Brighter Future which relate to areas under the remit of my Department, I can assure the Deputy that this Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with an unprecedented allocation of €2.14 billion provided in Budget 2023, an increase of €78 million on last year.
While the Commissioner is operationally responsible for the allocation of resources, 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 optimal use.
In this regard I am pleased to inform the Deputy, that Garda numbers in the Ballymun Garda District have increased by 55 since to 31/12/2017 to an overall Garda strength of 266 on the 30/9/2022. In addition, the strength of the Dublin Metropolitan Region North Drugs Unit, has also increased in the same period from 19 to a strength of 29.
Garda Operation Tara has a strong focus on tackling street-level dealing throughout rural and urban Ireland. The focus of this Operation is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels. Recent successes of Operation Tara include the seizure of €348,000 seized in Dublin and Louth, where five people were arrested on 17 October 2022 and have been charged to appear before the Courts.
Furthermore, an additional allocation of €6.7m was provided in Budget 2022 and another €2.5m in 2023 to ensure the delivery of key objectives in the Youth Justice Strategy , in particular the expansion and deepening of the services offered to young people by the Youth Diversion Projects which are fully funded by my Department. These projects provide an invaluable support to complement the work of An Garda Síochána in addressing youth crime and protect local communities, including those YDPs already operating in Ballymun.
I can also inform the Deputy that under the Community Safety Innovation Fund, ‘Base Bus Ballymun’ – A Community Mobile Access Project, has received €120,000 in funding. This project aims to redefine places of anti-social behaviour into more positive social environments by providing early intervention and preventative action.
Further, as recognised by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, improving community safety requires a multi-sectoral approach, strong inter-agency collaboration and engagement from the community.
Local Community Safety Partnerships will play a key part in this by creating a tailor-made community safety plan with input from the local community and public services. Innovative pilot schemes rolled out in Waterford, North Dublin Inner City and Longford engage with the community to prioritise issues raised by its members. These areas were chosen for a number of factors including population density, crime trends and deprivation. These pilot schemes are to run for 24 months with a view to then rolling them out nationwide.
As the Deputy will be aware the Joint Agency Response to Crime (‘JARC’) is an example of a strategic multi-agency initiative involving an intensive, highly collaborative approach to the supervision and rehabilitation of prolific offenders in particular areas of Dublin and beyond.
The three lead agencies (An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service) with the active support of my Department and in partnership with other State bodies and community-based organisations, work together in a close and highly structured manner to steer these recidivist offenders away from criminality.
The STRIVE project is a specific JARC initiative established in 2015 and targets very high-risk offenders, who are identified as causing the most harm in the community, using a coordinated approach with local stakeholders. The programme currently has capacity for 24 clients at any one time, which is an increase of three clients as has been agreed by the JARC governance structures during Q3 2022. This small expansion is manageable given the current resource commitments for the initiative.
The Operational team in STRIVE includes representatives from the Probation Service, An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service and Ballymun Job Centre.
In line with the Programme for Government commitment to extend the pilot schemes of the Joint Agency Response to Crime to more areas to target prolific repeat and vulnerable offenders aged 16 -21, Justice Plan 2021 contains a commitment to identify areas in which to expand the JARC project.
Key steps in this process include the recent establishment of a new oversight and governance structure for multi-agency offender management initiatives including SORAM, JARC, Domestic Violence & Complex High Risk Prisoners and Life Sentence Prisoners.
The Deputy will wish to note that while these new structures bed down, work is also ongoing on a formal independent evaluation of a number of the JARC initiatives. The STRIVE programme is one of the programmes that is being evaluated.
Any decisions to expand JARC will be made in the context of the outcome of this evaluation process and will form part of the ongoing agenda for the new oversight mechanism.
52. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice if she will indicate the learnings to date from the pilot initiatives in the new approach to community policing; and the implications they have for the roll-out of the approach nationwide. [51942/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCommunity safety is about people being safe and feeling safe within their communities. Ireland is generally regarded as a safe country in international terms, with relatively low crime rates and a general feeling of safety and security. However, we recognise that this is not the case in every community and that people living in some areas can experience a different reality.
A community safety approach prioritises issues identified by the community itself as safety concerns and increases community confidence in service providers.
My Department's Community Safety Policy will ensure communities are safer and feel safer by making community safety a whole of Government responsibility and priority, to be delivered through Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs), supported through a national governance structure.
The LCSPs will bring all services and the community together at local authority level, building upon and replacing existing Joint Policing Committees, to serve as a forum for discussion and decisions on community priorities.
This means State services working with each other and the community to ensure there is better coordination between services such as educational and youth work with young people, the availability of local health and mental health services, drug prevention, housing and the built environment, and actions taken to combat alcohol and substance abuse, domestic abuse, youth crime, anti-social behaviour, and hate crime.The partnership approach is built on two premises:
1. Every community is different and has different problems and issues; and
2. Responding to those problems and issues requires a range of inputs from across Government, local services, voluntary sector and the community itself.
Three pilot LCSPs have been fully established in Dublin North Inner City, Longford and Waterford. The pilots have been working to develop unique community safety plans, and the Longford Local Community Safety Pilot published its plan on 19 September.
The pilots will run for two years and each pilot is subject to an ongoing independent evaluation, lasting for the 24 month duration of the pilots. The overall aim of the evaluation is to provide actionable evidence to help inform the development of the LCSPs and their rollout across the country on completion of the pilot period, after the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill is enacted.
Over time, the evaluation will assess how well the Local Community Safety Partnership pilots identified the priorities and concerns of their respective communities; how the LCSPs conducted their work; the engagement and relationships the LCSPs have had with the local communities; and the impact of the LCSP work on community safety.
Findings from the evaluation process will inform future rollout of the LCSP model in every local authority area. The initial phase of fieldwork was focused on reviewing processes and establishing a baseline for any outcomes of the work of the Partnership pilots over the next two years.
Establishing a baseline is an important aspect of the evaluation as it ensures a solid understanding of the starting point against which to compare the data at the latter stages of the evaluation.
A baseline report has been completed and submitted to the Department and will be published on the Department’s new community safety website this month.
The mid-term evaluation, which will report on findings from the pilots, is due in Q4 2022.
53. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí in each of the Cork stations now and at their peak. [52331/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2023 of €2.14 billion.
As the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes decisions on the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the table below sets out the number of Garda members assigned to Cork North, Cork City, and Cork East Divisions at 31 December 2015 and at 31 August 2022, the latest date for which figures are available.
|
DIVISION |
2015 |
Aug 2022 |
% Increase |
|
CORK CITY |
651 |
716 |
10% |
|
CORK NORTH |
298 |
340 |
14% |
|
CORK WEST |
276 |
292 |
6% |
The table below sets out the number of Probationer Gardaí assigned to Cork North, Cork City, and Cork East Division since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014.
|
Probationer Gardaí by Division |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
Total |
|
CORK CITY |
7 |
6 |
26 |
23 |
15 |
27 |
9 |
14 |
127 |
|
CORK NORTH |
0 |
5 |
15 |
13 |
11 |
17 |
6 |
15 |
82 |
|
CORK WEST |
5 |
0 |
15 |
11 |
0 |
7 |
6 |
0 |
44 |
The attached spreadsheet which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Garda members assigned to Cork City, Cork North and Cork West Divisions at 31 December 2015 up to 31 August 2021. Please note that this information is based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be liable to change.
For the Deputy's information, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on my Department's website and can be accessed using the following link:
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/
56. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice if she will outline the details of the newly launched rural safety plan 2022-2024; the planned outcomes of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52458/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI was delighted to launch the Rural Safety Plan 2022-2024 at this year's Ploughing Championships in Co. Laois.
People and communities in rural Ireland deserve to feel safe and to be safe. Community Safety is is a whole of Government responsibility and it requires a multi-agency approach if it is to be truly effective.The Rural Safety Plan is the result of strong collaboration between all the relevant organisations and brings together the excellent work already underway in relation to rural safety. The Plan is not intended to replace, but rather supplement, this work.
The vision of the Rural Safety Plan is for people and communities in rural Ireland to feel safe and be safe in their homes, their places of work, and their local environments.The Plan identifies 5 main priorities in relation to rural safety. They are:
1. Community Safety
2. Burglary and Theft
3. Roads Policing
4. Animal Crime
5. Heritage Crime.
The Plan outlines the key actions underway in these priority areas in an informative and accessible way and also provides useful contacts for partner organisations, groups committed to supporting victims of crime, and organisations that share the Department of Justice’s aim of advancing the safety of our people.
Some of the objectives set out in the Plan, such as the launch of An Garda Síochána's new property recording app, have already been achieved. Others will be progressed through the lifetime of the Plan and beyond.
I want to recognise the wide-ranging and impactful work to further people’s safety and welfare that is being undertaken in rural communities across the country. Much of this work is undertaken by dedicated volunteers who admirably commit so much of their time to the benefit of our communities and our country.
For the Deputy's information the Plan is available at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/3502e-rural-safety-plan-2022-2024/#:~:text=The%20vision%20of%20the%20Rural,in%20relation%20to%20rural%20safety.
57. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Justice when additional commissioners will be appointed to the Data Protection Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52426/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government clearly commits to ‘Recognise the domestic and international importance of data protection in Ireland.’ Delivering on this commitment means supporting and resourcing the DPC to deal with an ever increasing workload with increasingly complex investigative requirements. On 27 July 2022, the government approved the commencement of the process to appoint two additional Commissioners to support the evolving organisational structure, governance and business needs of the Data Protection Commission (DPC). In line with the legislation which provides for the appointment of Commissioners, the independent Public Appointments Service will run the process. The Public Appointments Service is tasked with making a recommendation on the two people for appointment as Commissioner following an open selection competition. This is expected to to be completed early in 2023. I have also asked the DPC to undertake a review of governance structures, staffing arrangements and processes. This review will being carried out to support the work to be performed by the new three person Commission model.The Government values the DPC’s important and independent role as one of the largest EU data protection authorities and acknowledges its strong track record in carrying out its duties. The Department of Justice will continue to provide the support it requires.
58. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice the projects which will be funded by the capital allocations to the Courts Service in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51611/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is a priority for my Department to ensure that the courts are resourced to administer justice efficiently and effectively for citizens in their access to justice.
The Deputy may be aware that management of the courts is the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution. However, in order to be of assistance, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has provided the following update on this matter.
The capital allocation available to the Courts Service in 2023 is set out in the table below:
|
Category |
Estimate 2023 |
|
Capital Projects |
€000 |
|
ICT |
16,592 |
|
Capital works Courthouses |
11,539 |
|
PPP Unitary Payments |
38,740 |
|
66,871 |
The ICT expenditure includes the large scale implementation of a number of projects under the Courts modernisation programme which will enable new ways of working, digital solutions and user-centric services to keep pace with demand for services.
The capital works includes, among other items, minor courthouse maintenance and refurbishment, preparatory costs associated with the Hammond Lane, Dublin 8 PPP project, site purchases and sustainability projects.
The PPP unitary payments relate to the Criminal Courts of Justice and the regional courthouse bundle of projects delivered by PPP.
60. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice the number of new gardaí recruited for each station in the County Cork from January to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52435/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with the unprecedented budget of over €2 billion for 2022 and €2.14 billion for 2023. Since 2016 the budget for An Garda Síochána has increased by approximately €586m, or 38%.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the table below, which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Probationer Gardaí assigned to County Cork from January 2022 up to most recent attestation of 8 July 2022.
|
Cork City |
2022 |
|
ANGLESEA STREET |
2 |
|
TOGHER |
5 |
|
MAYFIELD |
5 |
|
GURRANABRAHER |
2 |
|
BALLINCOLLIG |
0 |
|
BLACKROCK |
0 |
|
BLARNEY |
0 |
|
CARRIGALINE |
0 |
|
DOUGLAS |
0 |
|
WATERCOURSE ROAD |
0 |
|
Total |
14 |
|
Cork North |
2022 |
|
MALLOW |
3 |
|
MIDLETON |
5 |
|
FERMOY |
7 |
|
CHARLEVILLE |
0 |
|
COBH |
0 |
|
YOUGHAL |
0 |
|
Total |
15 |
There have been no Probationer Gardaí assigned to Cork West Division in 2022 to date.
For the Deputy's information, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on my Department's website and can be accessed using the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/.
