Wednesday, 14 Dec 2022

Written Answers Nos. 223-236

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (223, 224)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

223. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí in each county in each of the years 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62510/22]

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

224. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of newly attested gardaí in each county in each of the years 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62511/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including responsibility for the recruitment, training and deployment of Garda members. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.

Since 2015, the budget for An Garda Síochána has increased by approximately €672m, or 46%. This has allowed for sustained and ongoing recruitment and as Minister, I am committed to delivering the necessary resources to bring the number of Garda Members to 15,000 and beyond.

The recruitment campaign for An Garda Síochána in 2022 saw 11,000 people expressing an interest in joining the service. This will provide us with a clear pipeline of recruits

I can also inform the Deputy that the number of attestations this year so far is 369 – meaning nearly 500 will have completed or begun their training in 2022.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that at 31 October 2022, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 14,211 Garda members. This represents an increase of 11% since the end of December 2015 when there were 12,816 Garda members.

I understand that it is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to them, having regard to the profile of each area within the Division and its specific needs.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the table below provides a breakdown of Garda members by Garda Division for the years 2015 up to 2021, and at 31 October 2022, the latest date for which figures are available. Please note that this information is based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be liable to change.

Gardaí by Division	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	Oct 2022
D.M.R. EAST	377	376	378	381	373	382	368	371
D.M.R. NORTH	668	676	670	715	753	798	778	778
D.M.R. NORTH CENTRAL	590	612	611	665	689	680	660	647
D.M.R. SOUTH	541	549	532	551	579	586	572	554
D.M.R. SOUTH CENTRAL	627	630	622	648	765	731	710	687
D.M.R. WEST	688	673	672	709	751	767	738	735
KILDARE	312	316	360	380	397	420	422	438
LAOIS / OFFALY	278	299	339	365	373	383	375	380
MEATH	277	286	309	318	319	335	320	323
WESTMEATH	246	242	270	274	277	273	261	251
WICKLOW	318	304	305	310	308	312	306	310
CAVAN / MONAGHAN	318	318	329	346	388	385	381	379
DONEGAL	392	382	386	404	460	462	450	443
LOUTH	287	302	319	348	369	393	392	407
SLIGO / LEITRIM	294	297	304	297	303	310	292	295
KILKENNY/CARLOW	284	296	329	339	334	340	334	330
TIPPERARY	354	364	382	387	380	411	398	396
WATERFORD	282	277	297	348	354	377	372	382
WEXFORD	255	258	292	308	320	335	333	340
CORK CITY	651	644	666	721	730	723	730	711
CORK NORTH	298	300	324	330	335	351	330	337
CORK WEST	276	281	295	303	302	308	297	291
KERRY	300	299	319	335	344	351	351	347
LIMERICK	554	559	558	607	612	601	593	599
CLARE	292	292	309	318	309	314	313	310
GALWAY	560	568	580	614	621	623	606	620
MAYO/ROSCOMMON/LONGFORD*	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	617
MAYO	303	300	323	339	339	343	330	N/A
ROSCOMMON / LONGFORD	292	301	310	318	312	315	298	N/A

* As of September 2022 the Mayo Division and Roscommon/Longford Division amalgamated into one. This is as a result of the ongoing roll out of the new Garda Operating Model.

The table below which has also been provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of probationer Gardaí who were assigned to Garda stations nationwide from 2015 to 8 July 2022, the date of the last attestation. Please note that this information is based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be liable to change.

Divisional Probationer Garda Allocations by Division - 2015 to 8 July 2022	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Total
D.M.R. EAST	10	19	38	30	26	14	4	17	158
D.M.R. NORTH	20	32	69	77	55	42	6	31	332
D.M.R. NORTH CENTRAL	23	45	70	73	38	23	7	36	315
D.M.R. SOUTH	19	34	66	56	54	24	4	25	282
D.M.R. SOUTH CENTRAL	20	43	78	61	75	23	5	34	339
D.M.R. WEST	30	35	73	81	61	32	7	42	361
CAVAN / MONAGHAN	10	7	23	35	45	11	4	6	141
CLARE	10	5	10	15	0	6	3	2	51
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
DONEGAL	10	5	13	26	43	15	5	3	120
GALWAY	5	5	10	16	14	13	7	9	79
KERRY	10	0	17	14	0	14	6	0	61
KILDARE	15	20	47	30	17	23	7	18	177
KILKENNY/CARLOW	10	10	30	12	8	23	4	9	106
LAOIS / OFFALY	9	20	42	22	5	21	8	16	143
LIMERICK	9	17	19	34	12	31	7	14	143
LOUTH	11	17	34	32	42	21	5	16	178
MAYO	4	0	14	0	0	10	5	1	34
MEATH	5	19	30	19	19	25	3	16	136
ROSCOMMON / LONGFORD	0	5	10	3	5	12	3	5	43
SLIGO / LEITRIM	5	5	8	6	13	15	6	0	58
TIPPERARY	5	14	21	13	8	25	8	8	102
WATERFORD	14	10	30	36	21	16	4	15	146
WESTMEATH	5	5	22	4	0	9	4	1	50
WEXFORD	15	10	34	26	9	13	4	8	119
WICKLOW	10	0	19	21	9	10	1	7	77
REMAINING IN COLLEGE (STATION TO BE NOTIFIED)								1	1
Total	296	393	883	789	605	522	148	369	4,005

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/

Question No. 224 answered with Question No. 223.

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (225)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

225. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí who retired from the force per county in each of the years 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62512/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Garda authorities. I will contact the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51.

I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 225 of 14 December 2022 where you sought: To ask the Minister for Justice the number of Garda­ who retired from the force per county in each of the years 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

As you will recall, Minister Humphreys sought the information you requested from the Garda authorities and undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand. The delay in responding to you is regretted.

Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for all matters relating to recruitment and personnel within An Garda Síochána. As Minister, I have no direct role in such matters.

I am informed by the Garda Authorities that the table below outlines the number of members who retired from An Garda Síochána by region in each of the years of 2015 to 2021 and up to 19 December 2022.

Region	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Southern Region	46	35	44	44	46	39	57	72
Northern Region	54	57	56	48	43	70	70	62
Eastern Region	41	51	25	32	33	47	41	56
DMR Region	50	44	38	42	50	52	57	61
Specialist and Support Units	46	41	63	52	50	42	68	62

I hope this information will be of assistance to you.

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (226)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

226. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí who have been assaulted on duty per county in each of the years 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62513/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the Garda authorities and I will revert to the Deputy once the information is to hand.

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (227)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

227. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí who have exited the force due to injury per county in each of the years 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62514/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for all matters relating to recruitment and personnel within An Garda Síochána. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that the records kept in relation to the number of members who leave the organisation on medical grounds does not capture the nature of those grounds.

Accordingly I regret that the information sought by the Deputy is not readily available.

Antisocial Behaviour

Ceisteanna (228)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

228. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of anti-social behaviour orders, ASBOs, handed down per county and by age group in each of the years 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62515/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) for the management and administration of Garda business. This includes all operational policing matters and the management of the Garda PULSE system. As Minister I have no role in these independent matters.

To be of assistance I have contacted the Garda authorities and have been provided with the table below, which lists the number of incidents of 'Behaviour Warning' or 'Behaviour Order' nationally.

I have been advised that, due to the low volume of incidents in the majority of Divisions, a breakdown by age group is not possible due to data protection, to prevent possible identification of individuals.

Information is from PULSE as of 12 December 2022 and is operational and subject to change.

Garda Division	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Cavan/Monaghan	18	19	11	*	*	*	13	*
Clare	23	22	*	10	*	54	39	15
Cork City	61	58	27	16	13	34	23	10
Cork North	12	16	17	18	12	*	*	*
Cork West	*	*	*	13	11	15	*	*
DMR East	*	11	11	*	*	*	*	10
DMR North Central	648	305	932	737	434	120	89	135
DMR North	25	13	19	*	34	59	18	*
DMR South Central	27	26	*	*	36	55	130	10
DMR South	22	34	*	*	25	18	10	10
DMR West	108	65	44	36	30	94	88	54
Donegal	19	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Galway	23	22	24	39	16	33	23	11
Kerry	12	16	19	16	11	19	21	13
Kildare	11	12	33	*	*	29	*	*
Kilkenny/Carlow	14	14	25	36	25	31	18	16
Laois/Offaly	12	10	*	14	16	*	21	11
Limerick	144	189	90	335	300	748	455	241
Louth	*	*	*	23	26	18	26	17
Mayo/Roscommon/Longford	19	34	13	34	28	51	66	49
Meath	*	*	*	*	*	11	*	*
Sligo/Leitrim	*	*	12	*	*	21	*	*
Tipperary	*	*	*	*	*	*	12	31
Waterford	*	*	*	10	*	21	*	*
Westmeath	*	*	10	13	*	13	12	*
Wexford	*	*	*	12	*	27	25	20
Wicklow	13	*	15	11	14	27	12	*
National Total	1254	922	1356	1421	1079	1536	1153	708

Figures less than 10 are denoted by * for data protection reasons. These figures (those denoted by * above) are included in the national total for each year.

Departmental Data

Ceisteanna (229)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

229. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the amount seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau per county in each of the years 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62516/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is a multi-agency statutory body established under the Criminal Assets Bureau Act, 1996. The Bureau has staff drawn from An Garda Síochána, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (including Customs), the Department of Social Protection and my Department.

The Bureau’s remit is to target the assets, wherever situated, of persons which derive or are suspected to derive, directly or indirectly, from criminal conduct. Since its inception, the Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting organised crime in this jurisdiction – disrupting the activities of criminal gangs through the removal of their ill-gotten gains - and has been recognised as a world leader in asset investigations, tracing and forfeiture.

The Bureau works closely with Gardaí and all law enforcement agencies at national and international levels and continues to focus its efforts on targeting assets deriving from all types of criminal conduct. The Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act 2005 makes provision for the Bureau to seize assets that were generated in foreign jurisdictions. This Act enables the Bureau to cooperate fully with other international asset recovery agencies.

I am advised by CAB that a significant and disproportionate amount of resources would be required to provide the geographic breakdown as requested and that in light of this, CAB is not in a position to provide the information you have sought.

However to be of assistance, the table below provided by CAB details the total value of assets and cash seized by the Bureau for the years 2011-2021.

Year	Section 2 Interim Orders EURO	Section 2 Interim Orders STERLING
2011	5,384,559.73	6,725.00
2012	2,110,334.78
2013	2,821,302.00
2014	6,760,182.00
2015	941,078.59
2016	643,063.07
2017	7,020,539.20
2018	8,263,582.30
2019	64,985,550.30*
2020	5,814,206.00
2021	3,068,528.00

* The 2019 figure includes the granting of a freezing order over cryptocurrency to the value of €53,023,140.

The table below sets out the total monies returned to the Exchequer under Section 4(1) & 4A of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996. Also included are taxes collected and social welfare recoveries for the years 2011 – 2021 which are remitted to the Exchequer via the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Protection.

Year	Total to Exchequer from Section 4(1) & 4A Proceed of Crime Act	Revenue Collections	Social Welfare Recoveries
2011	€2,734,715.22	€3,804,867.00	€454,037.49
2012	€4,850,540.17	€1,967,925.00	€393,797.00
2013	€1,038,680.52	€5,418,000.00	€287,380.00
2014	€467,152.37	€3,017,000.00	€335,911.00
2015	€1,642,962.29	€2,038,000.00	€185,354.32
2016	€1,412,920.41	€2,106,000.00	€297,430.12
2017	€1,698,721.08	€2,374,000.00	€319,720.31
2018	€2,271,799.92	€3,097,000.00	€302,673.36
2019	€1,559,726.31	€2,206,000.00	€324,055.73
2020	€1,838,507.25	€1,800,000.00	€314,484.60
2021	€5,549,661.95	€4,401,000.00	€364,827.00

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that this information is publicly available in CAB’s Annual Reports. For the Deputy's information the CAB Annual Reports are available to view at the following link:

www.cab.ie/annual-reports/

I am advised by the Bureau that figures for 2022 are not yet available, and will be published as part of the CAB Annual Report for 2022.

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (230)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

230. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice to outline plans to promote high-visibility policing over the Christmas period in Dublin and across Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62517/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I can assure the Deputy that while the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for policing matters, the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána have the resources needed to keep our urban and rural communities safe over the Christmas period and at all times during the year.

Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, which included a €5m increase in the overtime budget for An Garda Síochána to over €100m, supporting high visibility policing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that Operation Open City commenced in Dublin City on 1 December and will continue until Christmas Eve. The aim of Operation Open City is to facilitate the movement of Public Transport and minimise traffic disruption to the general public, through high visibility policing and enforcement activity.

The Garda National Christmas and New Year Roads Policing Plan also runs from 1 December to 3 January. Together, Operation Open City and the Christmas and New Year Enforcement Operation will target lifesaver offences – which include speeding, wearing of seatbelts, mobile phone use and driving while intoxicated – over the holiday period.

I am also informed that preparation in respect of this year’s New Year’s Eve Policing Operation is underway.

As the Deputy may be aware, An Garda Síochána also have a number of operations currently in place to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Dublin. This includes Operation Citizen, which aims to deliver an enhanced high visibility policing presence in Dublin city centre on a daily basis.

Operation Tara, An Garda Síochána's enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, commenced in July last year and has a strong focus on tackling street-level drug dealing throughout Ireland.

In addition, this year's winter phase of Operation Thor was launched by Gardaí on 1 October. Operation Thor is designed to tackle burglaries and associated criminal activities, which often increase in the darker winter months, through targeted enforcement and crime prevention activity and information.

One of the main focus areas of Operation Thor is crime prevention through visible, focused patrols at specific times of day, targeting burglary ‘hot-spots’ and also utilising high-visibility check points that prevent ease of movement. Operation Thor also aims to reduce burglaries by ensuring every burglary is appropriately investigated to the highest possible standard and by monitoring crime data daily for changes in trends of burglaries, associated crimes and detection rates.

Since its inception in 2015, Operation Thor has proved highly successful in tackling property-related crime and figures show that there has been a 36% reduction in the rate of such offences when compared to the pre-COVID-19 levels in 2019. The Operation's winter phase places particular emphasis on preventing any predicted surge in burglaries of residential properties during this period.

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (231)

Brendan Griffin

Ceist:

231. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Justice if An Garda Síochána will provide details of the number of thefts and damage to bee keeping and related equipment (details supplied) per county in the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62522/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the recording of information on the Garda PULSE system. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

However, I have been informed by An Garda Síochána that there is no sub-category that exists on the PULSE system that would allow them to record thefts of this type. As such they are unable to provide a reliable answer to the issues raised by the Deputy.

The Deputy may be aware that presently there are strict penalties in place for theft offences. Theft is an offence under section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. Anyone convicted of a theft offence is liable to a penalty of a fine or up to 10 years imprisonment. Under section 14 of the Act, a person found guilty of robbery (theft using coercion or force) is potentially liable on conviction on indictment to life imprisonment.

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (232)

Thomas Gould

Ceist:

232. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of Garda stations in County Cork open during the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. [62675/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). This includes all decisions related to the opening hours of individual Garda stations. As Minister I have no role in these independent functions.

I have been advised by the Garda authorities that there are 9 Garda stations in Cork County, listed below, that are open during the hours specified by the Deputy.

Cork North Division:

- Mallow

- Fermoy

- Cobh

- Midleton

Cork West Division:

- Bandon

- Bantry

- Clonakilty

- Macroom

- Kinsale

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (233)

Thomas Gould

Ceist:

233. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the opening hours of each of the Garda stations in the Cork city and county divisions in tabular form. [62676/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended). This includes all decisions related to the opening hours of individual Garda stations. As Minister I have no role in these independent functions.

I am advised that An Garda Síochána maintains an online station directory which includes the contact information and opening hours for Garda stations across the State. The directory is searchable by Garda Division or station and can be accessed at:

www.garda.ie/en/contact-us/station-directory/

An Garda Síochána

Ceisteanna (234)

Thomas Gould

Ceist:

234. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of civil servants working in Garda stations by county in tabular form. [62677/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the deployment of human resources.

The table attached provides the number of Garda Staff by station as of 31 October 2022, the latest date for when figures are available. Information is operational and subject to change.

For the Deputy's information, and in the interest of transparency, Garda workforce figures are published on gov.ie and regularly updated by my Department, from information supplied by the Garda Authorities, at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/

Garda staff

Departmental Programmes

Ceisteanna (235)

Michael Moynihan

Ceist:

235. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide an overview of the main law reforms initiated by her Department since 27 June 2020. [62780/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

Since her appointment as Minister for Justice, Minister Helen McEntee has pursued an ambitious legislative agenda to progress policy goals across civil and criminal justice and I have maintained this momentum during my time as Minister.

I am committed to building a world class policing service in Ireland, to tackling domestic, sexual and gender based violence, to protecting and supporting the victims of crime, and to building a family justice system which is efficient, accessible and family friendly. These priorities are set out in Justice Plan 2022, and are reflected in the current legislative programme for justice which the government is prioritising for enactment.

The government has introduced and is committed to enacting significant legislation. We are committed to:

- Enacting the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill early in the new year:

- to make stalking and non-fatal strangulation standalone criminal offences

- to increase the sentence of conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life in prison, a key measure to tackle gangland crime and those who direct it

- to double the maximum sentence for assault causing harm – one of the most common offences in domestic violence cases – from five years to ten years

- Enacting the Sex offenders bill to strengthen the monitoring arrangements for convicted sex offenders – Passed all stages in Dáil, now going into Seanad

- Enacting the new Family court bill to put families at the centre of the family justice system - Bill agreed by Cabinet and awaiting second stage in the Seanad

- Enacting the new Hate Crime and Hate Speech Bill to reform and modernise the law through the introduction of new, specific hate aggravated offences for crimes motivated by prejudice against protected characteristics, with tougher sentences than ordinary forms of crime, and to legislate for Incitement to Hatred or Hate Speech – Bill has passed second stage, committee stage will take place early next year

- Enacting the Recording Devices Bill to improve use of CCTV, and to provide for Body worn cameras and Automatic Number Plate Recognition - to be brought into Dáil at second stage in the coming weeks

- Enacting law to establish a new Judicial Appointments Commission to ensure best practice in the way we appoint judges - completed Dáil, continuing at Seanad committee stage

- Modernising and updating 200 year old licensing law – General Scheme approved by Cabinet and published; scheme referred for pre-legislative scrutiny

- Updating sexual offences legislation, such as the law around consent and many reforms in line with commitments in Supporting a Victim's Journey, the plan to put the victim at the centre of the criminal justice system. This legislation will also introduce a revised National Referral Mechanism to help tackle human trafficking – General Scheme published during the summer, full Bill to be published in the coming period

- Introducing the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill to overhaul of structures and oversight of the Gardaí – Bill to be debated in the Dáil early in the new year

- Publishing Police Powers bill to improve effectiveness of police powers with new fundamental rights provisions – Bill to be published next year

Since 27 June 2020, several important pieces of legislation have been enacted, including:

- Enacted Coco’s Law to criminalise distribution of intimate images without consent

- Enacted the Perjury Bill to establish a statutory criminal offence for perjury

- Enacted a law to remove reporting restrictions which prevented parents from speaking publicly about their deceased child in cases where the child was unlawfully killed

- Enacted measures to introduce pre-trial hearing to ensure that victims are less likely to face stressful unexpected delays and adjournments to trial start dates

- Signed order to bring into the new personal injuries guidelines under the Judicial Council Act

- Enacted new law on Garda operating model to more front-line Gardaí, increased visibility, and a wider range of policing services for people in their local area

I can also inform the Deputy that following the recommendations of the Report of the Review of the Administration of Civil Justice (Kelly Review) an Implementation Group has been established to progress the relevant law reform recommendations in line with the Civil Justice Efficiencies and Reform Measures implementation plan published in 2022. The plan covers a variety of civil justice areas, including court processes and procedures, judicial review, discovery and legal costs, and envisages implementation through primary legislation, rules of court and operational measures as appropriate.

Social Media

Ceisteanna (236)

Seán Sherlock

Ceist:

236. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Justice the amount spent on social media advertising in 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and the amount spent per platform. [62809/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice

I wish to advise the Deputy that the budget for my Department includes expenditure on public awareness campaigns. In 2021 and 2022 such expenditure primarily related to awareness campaigns on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, in addition to campaigns to promote awareness of the regularisation scheme for undocumented migrants, and to highlight the dangers of fireworks in the run-up to Halloween.

These campaigns included expenditure on social media platforms, which is set out in the tables below:

Social media expenditure in 2021

	DSGBV Awareness	DSGBV Services	Dangers of Fireworks
Facebook/Instagram	€14,053	€1,232	€2,050
Twitter	€5,227	-	-
TikTok	€6,273	-	€2,050
Tinder	€30,750	-	-
Snapchat	-	-	€2,050
TOTAL	€56,303	€1,232	€6,150

Social media expenditure in 2022

	DSGBV Awareness	DSGBV Services*	Undocumented Migrants Scheme	Dangers of Fireworks
Facebook/Instagram	€17,254	€14,790	€10,738	€2,465
Twitter	€11,542		€6,835	-
TikTok	€14,538		-	€2,460
Tinder	€9,243		-	-
LinkedIn	-		€2,157	-
Snapchat	-		-	€1,972
TOTAL	€52,577	€14,790	€19,730	€6,897

*Campaign has been paid for and will begin later this month and will run over the Christmas and New Year period, so final cost for 2022 may be subject to change.