Written Answers Nos. 264-278
264. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice to provide the full-year cost of recruiting an additional 100 civilian staff to An Garda Síochána; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42251/24]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is the accounting officer of An Garda Síochána and is responsible under the law for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including human resource matters such as the recruitment of civilian staff. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters. I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.
I am committed to the principle that everyone should be safe, and feel safe. Ensuring that An Garda Síochána are properly resourced is key to achieving this goal. The unprecedented allocation of over €2.48 billion in Budget 2025, up 27% since 2020, demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring An Garda Síochána has provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work.
As of 28 June 2024, there are 3,502 Garda staff working alongside Garda members and carrying out vital roles to increase availability of Gardaí to focus on front-line duties. The significant increase in Garda staff in recent years has enabled 900 Gardaí to be freed up for front-line duties.
The Garda authorities have advised that the estimated full year payroll related cost of recruiting 100 Garda Staff is in the region of €5.8 million.
I am further advised that the calculation is an estimate only as it must take account of several unknowns, such as the actual grade, and date of recruitment of any new Garda staff. Hence, the above figures are annualised costs based on 50 Clerical Officers, 25 Executive Officers, 15 Higher Executive Officers and 10 Assistant Principal Officers paid at the midpoint of the current pay scale. An estimation of employer’s PRSI is also included.
265. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice for the cost of providing all front-line Gardaí with a body worn camera; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42252/24]
View answerEnsuring front-line Gardaí are equipped with body-worn cameras has been a priority for me and I am glad to say that the body-worn cameras proof of concept (POC) project has now been rolled out to front-line Gardaí across five Garda stations in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, Limerick and Waterford.
Using technology to enhance policing services is part of An Garda Síochána’s Digital Strategy, and another step towards the overall goal of cultivating an information-led policing service. As part of Budget 2025, €100m of funding is being provided for ICT to equip Gardaí with the necessary tools to enhance crime prevention and detection.
This includes body worn cameras and the development of a digital evidence management system (DEMS) which will facilitate the nationwide roll-out of body worn cameras and the introduction of facial recognition technology.
The use of body worn cameras is intended to increase public confidence in policing responses, by enabling Gardaí to record incidents as they occur and provide evidence of how a particular incident unfolded, providing greater transparency, promoting accountability, and deterring criminal activity.
Body worn cameras have been used for around three months in Dublin, two months in Limerick and almost one month in Waterford. I understand from the Garda authorities that there are already a number of early successes and positive feedback received to date.
Part of the purpose of the POC is to establish an estimated total cost of ownership for body worn cameras. This total cost will depend on a number of factors, including the type of model employed (individual vs pooled), and the outcome of an EU procurement process.
The aim of the POC is to learn not just about the cost of body worn cameras but also the essential Digital Evidence Management Systems (DEMS), infrastructure and networking costs which underpin them. Data collected by the cameras is only useful when supported by the systems that can process and analyse this data and ensure the digital evidence trail is preserved. The DEMS and Image Analysis and Recognition Software (IAMS) will also be used to manage, process and analyse other sources of video evidence such as the vast amounts of CCTV footage gathered in the course of investigations.
Along with ongoing engagement with international law enforcement partners and in-house expertise, the POC will inform the procurement process for the national solution for all of An Garda Síochána. This will include an estimate of the total costs.
266. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice to provide details of the annual average cost of a Community Safety Partnership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42253/24]
View answerProtecting our citizens is much wider than policing, and I want to empower communities to have a say in matters relating to their own safety. It is important to note that the new approach to community safety is a whole of Government approach.
Local Community Safety Partnerships which are being established under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, will operate at local authority level, and will include residents, local councillors, community representatives (including representatives of young people, older people, new and minority communities), business and education representatives and a range of public services including the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána and the local authority.
Each partnership will be supported by a dedicated Community Safety Co-ordinator (Grade VII Administrative Officer) and an Administrator (Grade IV Assistant Staff Officer). Both of these permanent positions will be funded by the Department of Justice and sit within each Local Authority. My Department will also fund the costs of both operating and staffing a new National Office for Community Safety. This Office will be responsible for providing support, training, and guidance to Local Community Safety Partnerships.
We are seeking to reposition community safety as the provision of relevant social services. Therefore, it is important that partnerships engage with the relevant service providers to source funding for the projects and initiatives they each identify as central to community safety in their area. This way, we can plan for the longer term and ensure that the funding necessary to support community safety initiatives is embedded in relevant service providers' financial allocations; and avoid, where possible, the short term funding of successful projects.
As part of Budget 2025, I secured €9.5 million for nationwide Community Safety Partnerships; the establishment of a National Office for Community Safety; and the Community Safety Fund.
267. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice to provide details of funding that has been allocated for the delivery of refuge units; to outline the delivery stream expected of those units; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42255/24]
View answerOne of the overarching goals of Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on DSGBV, which I published in June 2022, is to ensure that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one and under the strategy we have committed to doubling the number of refuge units across the country.
This represents the fastest ever expansion of refuge accommodation in this country.
To accelerate the delivery of additional refuge accommodation year on year, I formally established Cuan - the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Agency – at the start of this year.
Cuan is working closely with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Housing Agency to put in place the necessary structures and supports for organisations to take forward plans.
Last month, I launched a new 12 unit refuge in Wexford - the first of 18 priority locations to complete construction. The opening of the new units in Wexford means there are 162 domestic violence units across the country, with four more expected to come online in Louth before the end of the year and construction of a further 12 units in Kilcross in Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown also beginning before the end of this year.
There are at present 82 units undergoing funding approval through the Capital Assistance Scheme, with a further 10 proposals under review by colleagues in Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
There are another 19 units that have been identified as potential development opportunities by Cuan and our planning and delivery pipeline is growing stronger all the time.
Given the number of projects in the pipeline, we are on course to deliver on the ambitious target of doubling the number of refuge spaces.
Cuan is now responsible for coordinating all Government actions set out in the Third National Strategy and has a dedicated team in place to support the development of domestic violence refuges.
As this question relates to work being carried out by Cuan and information held by Cuan, I have referred it to the agency for direct response.
268. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice to provide a breakdown of the funding provided to community CCTV schemes in each year from 2016 to 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42256/24]
View answerCommunity safety is a top priority for my Department and everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in their communities. Community CCTV plays a vital role in achieving this goal.
As the Deputy may be aware, since 2017 my Department has administered a grant-aid scheme supporting groups wishing to establish a community-based CCTV system in their area.
The CCTV grant scheme was extended in 2019 to cover not only new CCTV systems, but to also provide funding for the extension or upgrade of existing CCTV systems which are incomplete or obsolete. Applicants may now also seek a once-off grant of up to €5,000 for minor maintenance costs.
Grants of over €950,000 for 36 Community CCTV schemes have been approved to date and a list of these CCTV projects is attached for the Deputy's information.
A further €1 million in funding has been made available towards the development of community-based CCTV schemes in 2024. Applications for funding are now open and can be made directly by the relevant Local Authorities.
This level of funding underlines my commitment to working with communities to ensure everyone feels safe.
The current legal framework providing for community CCTV schemes, which has been in place since 2006, requires that any proposed scheme must:
• be approved by the local Joint Policing Committee,
• have a data protection impact assessment prepared,
• have the prior support of the relevant local authority, which must act as a joint data controller with An Garda Síochána and a joint data controller agreement must be put in place, and
• have the authorisation of the Garda Commissioner.
The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023, which was signed into law in December last year, will reform CCTV schemes. Under the Act, community groups will continue to have a say in keeping their community safe.
It is envisaged that the Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs), which are currently being established under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 to replace Joint Policing Committees, will be the appropriate body to request community CCTV schemes in the future. Local residents, Local Authority staff, Councillors and members of An Garda Síochána will all be represented on the Partnerships, and will be best-placed to know how CCTV can be appropriately utilised in their area.
269. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice to provide details of the number of Gardaí stationed at Europol; for a breakdown of the costs associated with these placements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42259/24]
View answerI have sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána, and will contact him when this is to hand.
270. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Justice in view of the fact that the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act was passed in 2021, if the offence of perjury has yet been codified under the Courts Service’s criminal case tracking system; the number of offences have been prosecuted in the courts since enactment; whether this marks an increase in prosecutions for perjury before the courts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42262/24]
View answerThe Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act came into force in 2021. The purpose of the Act is to consolidate and simplify the law relating to perjury and related offences and to update certain penalties accordingly. The Act provides a clear, statutory definition of perjury and enables the offence and related offences, including false statements on oath, false statutory declarations and false declarations, to be more easily prosecuted before the courts.
Although the offence of perjury is already provided for in common law and the historical levels of investigations and prosecutions for perjury in this country are low, many stakeholders, in particular within the business community, called for new legislation to be put in place in order to make it easier to prosecute such an offence.
Section 14 of the Act extends to three years the time limit within which summary proceedings may be commenced for an offence under the Act or for perjury or subornation of perjury under any other enactment or law. The penalty on summary conviction is a fine of up to €4,000 and/or up to 12 months in prison. There is no time limit for the commencement of proceedings on indictment, which carries a penalty on conviction of a fine of up to €100,000 and/or up to 10 years in prison.
I am advised by the Courts Service that there is no offence code relating to the offence of perjury. Offences of this nature are recorded as free-text offences. It is not possible to break down the number of convictions by the type of proceedings in which perjury arose.
271. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice to provide details of all social enterprise organisations or bodies funded by her Department in each year from 2021 to date in 2024; the amount allocated in funding to each during this time period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42276/24]
View answerIt has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time available.
I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.
274. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Justice the reasoning for the decision to remove the 90-day visa-free travel to Ireland from South Africa for tourists; and whether she would reconsider this decision. [42323/24]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, with effect from 10 July 2024 Irish visa requirements were applied to nationals of South Africa.
Irish visa requirements are kept under ongoing review, having regard to the need to ensure that effective immigration controls are in place whilst also facilitating those who wish to travel to Ireland for the purposes of a visit, to work, to study or to join family members.
The introduction of a visa requirement for nationals of South Africa brings Ireland into closer alignment with the visa regime in the United Kingdom and the Schengen area.
In recent years, a significant number of International Protection applications have been received from nationals of South Africa. South Africa is designated as a safe country countries of origin for International Protection purposes and was one of only two countries on that list which were not visa required. Following the introduction of visa requirements for nationals of South Africa, my Department has recorded a significant reduction in the number of International Protection applications from South African Nationals.
I can further advise the Deputy that additional resources have been put in place to facilitate visa applicants from South Africa with a dedicated ‘South Africa desk’ in Dublin to process such applications and three Visa Applications Centres, located in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, which have been introduced with visa service provider VFS Global.
275. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the application of a person (details supplied) for leave to work under the international protection programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42326/24]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for international protection has been made in the State. If a person is in the international protection process, there is a legal requirement under the International Protection Act 2015 to maintain full confidentiality at all times. Therefore the Department is unable to publish any information that would identify an international protection applicant.
If an application for international protection has been made in the State, the applicant or their designated legal advisor should contact the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate. This will enable a full and comprehensive reply to be provided.
Both the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) are fully independent in deciding whether or not to grant international protection. Each application is examined individually on its own merits, in line with national and international asylum law.
In order to be helpful I have detailed information on labour market access permission that may be useful below:
From February 2024 the process of applying for Labour Market Access for International Protection applicants has moved to the International Protection Office (IPO) with a new online application process. The new system has provided a more streamlined process and shorter processing times for all new applications. The current processing time for these applications is 10 weeks.
The immigration services of the Department utilise the resources available in order to ensure that applications are processed in the shortest time frame possible. The Labour Market Access Unit is working to finalise applications as quickly as possible and appreciate customers’ patience as they deal with the very high levels of applications. The Department is also reviewing the processing arrangements generally to establish if they can be further streamlined.
Any queries in relation to a person's eligibility or otherwise for a labour market permission can be directed to: Lmauqueries@justice.ie or by post to the Labour Market Access Unit, PO Box 12931, Freepost FDN5264, Dublin 2
More information and further details on labour market access permission is available here: www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/labour-market-access-permission/
276. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current or expected position in regard to residency/stamp 4 in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42328/24]
View answerThe person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 1 immigration permission valid until 08 April 2025 and has no pending application with the Immigration Service of my Department.
It is open to any person to apply for a change of immigration status if they meet the criteria for doing so.
Detailed information on how to change immigration status is available at: Changing your immigration permission - Immigration Service Delivery (irishimmigration.ie).
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by email using the Oireachtas Mail facility at IMoireachtasmail@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 email service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
277. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the action proposed to ensure the protection of a person (details supplied) if efforts can be made to ensure that the person is not exposed to such, given the family situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42333/24]
View answerI have been informed that this case is currently before the courts and I cannot comment further.
278. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice whether a person (details supplied) can be considered for naturalisation given that she is a citizen of an EU Member State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42336/24]
View answerThe granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
It is open to anyone to make an application for citizenship once they meet the criteria as set out in the 1956 Act, as amended. Only once an application is received, can a determination on whether the applicant satisfies the statutory criteria for naturalisation be made.
Further detailed information on how to apply for naturalisation is available on my Department's Irish Immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/
The Citizenship Division of my Department have taken a significant number of steps to speed up the Naturalisation process for applicants, including introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are significantly reducing processing times. I expect that going forward the vast majority of applicants will receive a decision within one year.
In just over two years the Citizenship Division of my Department has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023 and has already made more than 24,000 decisions to date in 2024.
Last year, Citizenship Division more than doubled the number of ceremonies available to applicants with 15 held over the course of 2023. This was a significant increase on 6 Citizenship Ceremonies held in 2022. To date in 2024, my Department has hosted 17 ceremonies with over 14,000 attendees, with further ceremonies planned for later in the year.
