Written Answers Nos. 596-615
599. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether discussions have taken place, or are planned, between An Garda Síochána, Government Departments, the HSE, disability representative organisations and family advocacy groups regarding the potential development of a national rapid public notification system for vulnerable missing persons; and the current status of any such discussions. [68822/26]
View answerI have requested the information sought by the Deputy. Regrettably, this was not available in time and I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.
600. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 64811/26 of 16 September 2026, which stated that the Garda National Immigration Bureau has reviewed a substantial sample of cases and that a very significant proportion of the individuals concerned have departed the State; the number of cases in that sample; the period covered; the number and percentage confirmed as having departed; the number confirmed as remaining in the State; the number whose whereabouts could not be established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68771/26]
View answerThe nature and extent of the review carried out by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) is a matter for the Garda Commissioner.
601. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 64815/26 of 16 September 2026, which did not address the question asked, whether the gap between deportation orders signed and deportations confirmed has been assessed for inclusion on the Department's Corporate Risk Register; to state yes or no; if assessed and not included, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68770/26]
View answerMy Department has a Risk Committee that maintains the Departmental Corporate Risk Register.
The register is a live document and its content is not suitable for publication for operational and security reasons.
The risk register is used to identify, evaluate and mitigate significant risk to the Department’s operations and business plan and is reviewed on an ongoing basis by the Management Board.
603. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 65390/26 of 16 September 2026 (details supplied), the specific measures in place or planned to reduce the average period of 56 to 57 days between the completion of a custodial sentence and the enforcement of a removal or deportation order; the reason for the increase in persons released from custody prior to removal from 18 in 2025 to 41 in 2026 up to 4 September; the number of those 41 persons since removed; and the number whose whereabouts are unknown. [68773/26]
View answerThe removal of persons involved in criminality, and those who pose a danger to society, is a priority for me as Minister. The enforcement of deportation orders is an operational matter for the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), and my Department works closely with GNIB and the Irish Prison Service to ensure that high-risk individuals are prioritised for removal from Ireland.
Under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), a deportation order may be made in respect of a non-national on a number of grounds, including:
- under section 3(2)(a), a person who has served or is serving a term of imprisonment imposed on him or her by a court in the State;
- under section 3(2)(b), a person whose deportation has been recommended by a court in the State before which that person was indicted for, or charged with, any crime or offence;
- under section 3(2)(i), a person whose deportation would, in the opinion of the Minister, be conducive to the common good; and
- under section 51 of the International Protection Act 2015, persons who have been refused international protection.
Under the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015, which transpose the Free Movement Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC) into Irish law, both removal orders and exclusion orders may be made in respect of citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Such orders may be made on grounds of public policy, public security or public health.
Under section 24 of the Prisons Act 2007 (as amended), the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration may direct that a person serving a sentence of imprisonment, who is subject to a deportation order, removal order or return decision, may be removed from prison up to two years before the completion of their sentence where necessary or expedient to facilitate the person's deportation, removal or return.
My Department works to ensure that deportation and removal cases involving persons serving custodial sentences are progressed as early as possible. To that end, my Department seeks to initiate and progress deportation and removal processes while an individual remains in custody, including engaging at an early stage with relevant embassies and consular authorities regarding travel documentation requirements.
My Department works closely with the Irish Prison Service and An Garda Síochána to identify cases in advance of release dates and to prioritise the processing of higher-risk cases. In addition, procedures are kept under continuous review with a view to reducing delays and ensuring that legally robust decisions can issue at the earliest opportunity.
Where decisions are not finalised while individuals are in custody, the process continues following their release.
I can advise the Deputy that all 41 individuals who were released from custody prior to their removal in 2026 were subsequently removed successfully from the State. The majority of these individuals were arrested on the day of their release from prison and detained on immigration detention grounds pending their removal from the State. Accordingly, there are no cases among this cohort where the whereabouts of the individual are unknown.
The Deputy may also wish to note that the relevant legislative provision governing immigration detention is section 5 of the Immigration Act 1999, which provides that a person detained in connection with a deportation order may be held for a period of no more than 56 days pending their removal from the State. Similarly, Regulation 22 of the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015 (S.I. No. 548 of 2015) provides that a person detained in connection with a removal order may be held for a period of no more than 28 days pending their removal from the State.
604. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 65832/26 of 16 September 2026, (details supplied) the number of notices of intention to revoke a certificate of naturalisation issued since 7 April 2025; the number of Committees of Inquiry requested and appointed; the number of Committee decisions affirming or setting aside his decision, noting that aggregate figures do not disclose individual cases or operational processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68775/26]
View answerThe grounds for the revocation of citizenship are set out in section 19 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.
As advised to the Deputy in response to Parliamentary Question No. 65832/26 of 16 September 2026, changes to the citizenship revocation process were made by the Court, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024. These changes were required to address issues identified in a Supreme Court judgment concerning the previous revocation process. The revised statutory provisions came into operation on 7 April 2025.
Under the revised procedure, where the Minister proposes to revoke a certificate of naturalisation, a notice of intention to revoke is issued to the person concerned. The person is afforded an opportunity to make representations and has 28 days in which to do so. Following consideration of any representations received, or on the expiry of that period, a decision may be made to proceed with the revocation. Where such a decision is made, the person concerned has 14 days in which to request a Committee of Inquiry. A Committee, where requested, is independent in the exercise of its functions and may affirm the decision or set it aside.
Since the revised provisions came into effect on 7 April 2025, two notices of intention to revoke a certificate of naturalisation have been issued. In both cases, the process subsequently resulted in the revocation of the certificates concerned.
To date, no Committee of Inquiry has been requested and, consequently, no Committee of Inquiry has been appointed. Accordingly, there have been no Committee decisions either affirming or setting aside a decision to revoke.
605. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his proposals to prevent retail crime. [68942/26]
View answerI take any risk to retailers, retail staff and communities very seriously and I am acutely aware of the personal and economic impact that retail crime is having on businesses, retail workers and communities.
I recognise that shoplifting and organised retail crime pose a significant threat to the economic welfare of Irish retailers and that retail theft is not a victimless crime. The Government is taking a number of strategic, tactical and integrated measures to address retail crime.
The Programme for Government makes several commitments in relation to retail crime. Together with the ongoing roll-out of high visibility policing by An Garda Síochána, further measures are also under consideration. These include:
• Improving data sharing between retailers and Gardaí to support enforcement;
• Expanding the use of community sanctions for retail crime; and
• Updating the Public Order Acts to allow prolific offenders to be excluded from retail premises for a certain period of time.
My Department is in the process of drafting a Retail Crime Strategy and work is well advanced. I expect to receive a draft copy of this strategy in the coming weeks for my consideration. The Government intends to publish the Strategy within the next few months.
An Garda Síochána commenced a dedicated operation in 2023, ‘Operation Táirge’, to tackle organised retail crime. Under ‘Táirge’, Gardaí nationwide use an intelligence-led approach to identify criminals engaging in retail crime. The approach is to disrupt the most prolific groups using organised crime legislation and proceeds of crime legislation and to work with retailers to strengthen their security and prevent them becoming victims of this criminality.
It should also be noted that my Departments work in relation to community safety, youth justice interventions, probation supervision schemes and antisocial behaviour, as well as securing funding for more Garda recruitment and increasing high visibility policing, will also contribute to the aim of supporting retailers, their staff and their customers.
606. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the progress to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of persons (details supplied); and when the applications are expected to be finalised. [68870/26]
View answerThe naturalisation applications referred to by the Deputy continue to be processed by my Department.
These applications are based on section 16, "Irish Associations", which can take longer to process than applications based on residency.
Section 15 of the Act sets out the statutory conditions that must be fulfilled for a certificate of naturalisation to be granted. Section 16 of the Act provides for the waiver of the statutory conditions, including the five-year residency requirement, in certain circumstances. This includes where the applicant is a direct descendant of a person who is or was an Irish citizen (for example, a grandparent), has a family connection to an Irish citizen (including by blood, adoption or civil partnership), or is related by affinity, meaning a close relationship through a spouse's family.
Last year, my Department published new guidelines for applications on the basis of Irish associations under section 16(1)(a) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956. These guidelines set out the factors that may be considered when deciding whether to waive the statutory conditions in certain circumstances, including where the applicant is of Irish descent or has Irish associations. Details of the guidelines are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-an-irish-citizen-guide/
Applicants can now directly check the status of their immigration application on the Immigration Service’s Customer Service Portal. They can register for, or log in to, their account at: https://portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/.
As an Oireachtas member, you can also request the status of individual immigration cases by e-mail, 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.
607. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his attention has been drawn to the increasing number of cyber-attacks carried out by artificial intelligence models; the preventative measures he is taking to protect Irish people’s data, Irish companies and public services from such attacks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68800/26]
View answerThe National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is an operational arm of my Department, and has a number of roles in monitoring and responding to cyber security incidents and risks in the State, and in working to build resilience. The latest National Cyber Risk Assessment (NCRA) was published last December and highlighted how AI drives systemic risk by increasing the speed, scale and sophistication of cyberattacks.
In April, the NCSC published detailed guidance on a number of AI related issues and has continued to engage closely with relevant stakeholders, including frontier AI organisations, to better understand and address emerging cyber security considerations. These engagements formed the basis of national inputs into the EU Action Plan on AI and Cybersecurity, published in July 2026, and underpins the response at an EU level to the changing threat landscape.
The NCSC continues to monitor developments in AI-enabled cyber capabilities to maintain an awareness of the risks posed and the measures necessary to mitigate them. Collaboration and communication nationally and internationally are key to responding to this rapidly changing environment. The NCSC is leveraging its existing networks to ensure that Ireland is well placed to respond to the challenges presented.
608. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the expansion of TAMS farm solar grants is being examined to assist reduce agricultural & horticultural cost bases, thereby reducing the cost of food production consumer costs. [68074/26]
View answerThe Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) is a demand-led scheme with a defined budgetary allocation. The budgetary allocation for TAMS 3 is spread across all eleven sub schemes therefore it is not possible to allocate a budget to each of the eleven schemes individually.
TAMS 3 has been hugely successful to date, with over €193 million issuing to farmers since payments commenced in June 2024. Over the first eight tranches of the scheme, all valid applications received were approved.
However to ensure the available budget for TAMS 3 is distributed fairly over the remainder of the current CAP programming period, it was necessary to limit the number of approved applications per tranche from Tranche 9 onwards by applying ranking and selection criteria to manage the budget to the end of 2027.
Specifically in respect of the Solar Capital Investment Scheme (SCIS) the number of applications and the level of funding provided to date has also well exceeded expectations, to the extent that more than 20% of the TAMS budget is being spent on SCIS. To date a total of 3,787 SCIS applications have received approval to proceed with their investment while payments amounting to €39.5 million have issued to 2,107 farmers.
Given the need to manage the remaining budget available for TAMS 3, in recent tranches I have prioritised approvals for core on-farm investments related to farm safety and nutrient storage on the basis of the importance of continued investment in these measures. As a consequence, 100% of eligible applications under Farm Safety and circa 75% of nutrient storage investments have received approval in recent tranches while approvals for other measures have been at lower levels including SCIS applications.
609. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount paid under the forgotten farmers scheme to date. [68107/26]
View answer610. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers that have benefitted from the forgotten farmer scheme to date; and the number and amounts paid by county. [68103/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 609 and 610 together.
The scheme to support Long Established Young Farmers (LEYF) closed for submission of online application on 13th August 2025.
The number of farmers that have benefited from the Long Established Young Farmers scheme is 445, with a total value of payments of €2,225,000. The table below provides the detail of the number and amounts paid over to each county:
|
County |
No Paid |
Value of payment € |
|
Carlow |
18 |
90,000 |
|
Cavan |
24 |
120,000 |
|
Clare |
20 |
100,000 |
|
Cork |
35 |
175,000 |
|
Donegal |
33 |
165,000 |
|
Dublin |
1 |
5,000 |
|
Galway |
30 |
150,000 |
|
Kerry |
30 |
150,000 |
|
Kildare |
2 |
10,000 |
|
Kilkenny |
13 |
65,000 |
|
Laois |
9 |
45,000 |
|
Leitrim |
20 |
100,000 |
|
Limerick |
18 |
90,000 |
|
Longford |
14 |
70,000 |
|
Louth |
2 |
10,000 |
|
Mayo |
28 |
140,000 |
|
Meath |
9 |
45,000 |
|
Monaghan |
19 |
95,000 |
|
Offaly |
19 |
95,000 |
|
Roscommon |
13 |
65,000 |
|
Sligo |
20 |
100,000 |
|
Tipperary |
21 |
105,000 |
|
Waterford |
8 |
40,000 |
|
Westmeath |
12 |
60,000 |
|
Wexford |
19 |
95,000 |
|
Wicklow |
8 |
40,000 |
|
Total |
445 |
2,225,000 |
611. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to ensuring that small and part-time farmers who have incurred fertiliser costs can access the payment under the EU emergency fertiliser package; and if he will ensure that the scheme provides equitable support across farms of different sizes. [68213/26]
View answer612. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the €15.4 million EU emergency fertiliser package will be made available to farmers; if he will confirm whether additional Government funding will be provided under Budget 2027 to supplement this allocation; and the proposed eligibility criteria and minimum payment thresholds under the scheme. [68212/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 611 and 612 together.
With reference to the EU exceptional aid package, as announced by the European Commission, to support farmers facing increased fertiliser and energy costs due to the Middle East crisis, my Department is currently developing a scheme to distribute the €15.4 million made available to Ireland as part of that package. The proposed scheme will be targeted, insofar and as equitably as possible, at the farmers most severely affected by escalating input costs, including fertiliser costs.
The EU Regulation permits member states to provide additional national co-funding up to a maximum of 200% of the initial allocation and the provision of any such national top-up funding is part of the 2027 Budget discussions.
613. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a breakdown of the number of forestry owners including companies/corporations that have forestry holding of less than five hectares, between five and ten hectares, between ten and 15 hectares, between 15 and 20 hectares; and the number that have more than 20 hectares. [68461/26]
View answer614. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a breakdown of the number of forests that are owned by companies / corporations; and the number that are owned by individuals. [68472/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 613 and 614 together.
My Department has forest ownership information, from the time of initial afforestation, on those private forests which were established since 1980 through successive afforestation programmes. Ownership details are maintained by the Department for the time period that those forests are in receipt of afforestation support payments, which is typically 15 to 20 years. After this time forest ownership can change and the new owners are not required to notify the Department as the support payments have ceased.
Using the information from the time of initial afforestation, it is estimated that 24,510 private landowners have created over 300,000 hectares of new forests since 1980. The table below provides the number of forest owners in 5 hectare area classes. It is not possible to accurately provide information on the breakdown of the number of forests that are owned by companies/corporations and the number that are owned by individuals, given landowner in various programmes did not have to declare this. However, records show that 79% of the private area afforested since 1980 has been established by farmers.
Through the Forestry Programme 2023–2027, my Department is committed to expanding forest cover and delivering long-term climate, biodiversity, and economic benefits.
|
Area of Forests Established (ha) |
Number of Forest Owners |
|
less than 5 |
9,323 |
|
5-10 |
6,854 |
|
10-15 |
3,375 |
|
15-20 |
1,803 |
|
20+ |
3,155 |
|
Total |
24,510 |
615. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a breakdown of the number of individuals and companies/corporations that are in receipt of premiums of less than €5000, between €5000 and €10000, between €10000 and €15000 between €15000 and €20000 and over €20000 per annum. [68474/26]
View answerThe grants available under the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme include an annual income tax free premium payment for applicants, and these are made for a period of 20 years for applicants with farmer status and 15 years for other applicants. The status of applicants is differentiated between farmers and other applicants, and both categories will include individuals and corporate entities. The table below details the monetary amount of premia paid from 1 January to 31 August 2026 to both farmers and other applicants. It should be noted that the figures represent the recipients who received an annual premium within each of the thresholds - not cumulative payments as some applicants own more than one plantation and also that “banking of premiums” often occurs, this is where individuals choose to allow their premiums build-up, to claim at a future date.
The attached Table 2 details a threshold breakdown of premia from 2020 to 2025 and was previously supplied in reply to PQ 45132/26.
Forest owners who have not submitted their online applications so far, can still apply online for their forestry premiums through the Department’s Online Services website (www.agfood.ie). This facility remains open all year, and the department will continue to process online applications for forest premiums as they are received, with payments being issued on a weekly basis.
|
|
2026 Afforestation Scheme Annual Premium Payment Recipients by Threshold |
|
|
|
|
|
|
less than €5,000 |
€5,000 - €10,000 |
€10,000 - €15,000 |
€15,000 - €20,000 |
more than €20,000 |
|
Farmer |
5,081 |
1,159 |
69 |
61 |
37 |
|
Non-Farmer |
1,404 |
335 |
194 |
18 |
8 |
|
Total YTD @ 31.08.2026 |
6,485 |
1,494 |
263 |
79 |
45 |
Table 2 - Afforestation Scheme Annual Premium Payment Recipients by Threshold 2021 to 2025
(All applicants)
|
Year |
less than €5,000 |
€5,000 - €10,000 |
€10,000 - €20,000 |
€20,000 - €50,000 |
more than €50,000 |
|
2021 |
8,765 |
2,073 |
453 |
30 |
0 |
|
2022 |
8,253 |
1,910 |
400 |
35 |
0 |
|
2023 |
8,157 |
1,842 |
391 |
36 |
0 |
|
2024 |
7,573 |
1,684 |
366 |
40 |
0 |
|
2025 |
7,206 |
1,604 |
345 |
45 |
0 |
|
39,954 |
9,113 |
1,955 |
186 |
0 |
