Vol. 1070 No. 4
6. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of naturalisation applications received in each year from 2020 to 2024, inclusive; the current average processing times for naturalisation applications; the measures being taken by his Department to further reduce application processing times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36655/25]
Last week, I was delighted to attend the citizenship ceremonies, along with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins. We welcomed more than 7,500 new Irish citizens. My Department is committed to providing the best possible service to the customers of our citizenship division. We have taken significant steps to speed up the process for applicants. The steps have included the introduction of an online digital application and e-vetting. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are dramatically reducing the times. The median processing time for a decision on application in 2024 was eight months. This is a significant improvement in processing times, which were 15 months in 2023, 19 months in 2022 and 24 months in 2021. There has been a significant step change in the process.
The number of naturalisation applications received by the Department in 2020 was 10,807. By 2023, that had increased to 22,690 and in 2024, we saw 27,032 applications. Despite this substantial increase in applications being received in recent years, the fact that our processing times have significantly reduced is a huge credit to the work of staff in the Department's citizenship division. I thank them for that. The division has gone from processing approximately 12,000 applications per year to processing more than 20,000 per year. I expect that going forward the majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year. It is important to note, however, that no two naturalisation applications are the same. Some take longer to process than others.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is clear that the volume of applications has greatly increased over the last five years while processing times continue to fall year on year. This is very encouraging. The work of the Minister and his Department must be acknowledged in this regard. I appreciate that the Minister of State may not have the figures at hand. Does he have an indication of the likely number of applications in 2025? Is the number received in the first half of this year higher than the number received in 2024? If application numbers continue to rise, as the figures suggest, will the Minister give any consideration to further upgrading the citizenship application portal or appointing additional staff in the citizenship division?
Based on the trend in recent years, we probably will see either sustained or small increases in the number of applications. We are always looking at how the system works to try to make it work better and ensure people have a speedy response to their request. If we are looking at increased numbers, we will look at how we are handling and processing applications.
It is important to mention again that we have already made substantial investment into the system. We have significantly reduced the average time an application takes, while at the same time handling a significant increase in the numbers. I make this point again because for some individuals there is frustration. I am sure they have raised with the Deputy, as some have raised with me, why individual applications can take longer than the times I am giving. That is sometimes beyond our control and may involve seeking additional information on a particular application. However, every effort is made with every application to make sure the process is as fast and smooth as possible for the individual.
We recently saw over 7,500 people conferred with Irish citizenship at ceremonies in Killarney. While this is a joyous step on their journey of becoming an Irish citizen, we have seen instances where certificates of naturalisation have taken considerable time to arrive following the ceremony. Unfortunately, this can cause undue problems for the applicants when applying for a passport or seeking to pay third level fees ahead of an upcoming academic year. Can the Minister of State advise on the current waiting time to receive a certificate of naturalisation after attending a naturalisation ceremony and the actions being taken by the Department to ensure that these times are kept to a minimum?
I acknowledge there is a gap between the ceremony and the receipt of certificate. We are working on trying to tighten up and make sure the process involves as short a wait as possible.
To deal with the issues the Deputy quite rightly raises as regards the impact this can have on some individuals, the primary allocation of resources was into shortening the time for people to receive their citizenship. We will continuously look at this to ensure that the processing time for people to receive a certificate from the date on which they have their ceremony to the date on which they get their certificate is monitored and that people do not experience the type of issues the Deputy has mentioned.
8. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the action taken by his Department to monitor the progress of young people who leave the youth diversion programme after their supervision period ends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36372/25]
Our Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 is a whole-of-government plan that takes a strategic approach to all issues connected to children and young people at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system. The key principles of the strategy are linked to the standards endorsed by the international community to uphold children's rights and include early intervention and preventative work, family support, diversion from crime, court processes and facilities, supervision of offenders, detention and reintegration, and support post release.
Youth diversion projects are community-based, multi-agency youth crime prevention initiatives which divert young people who have been, or are at risk of becoming, involved in antisocial and-or criminal behaviour. When a young person's time with a youth diversion project is coming to an end, whether they age out naturally at 18 or are no longer in need of specific youth diversion project supports, a plan is put in place to assist the young person to progress from the project. This process should be commenced well in advance of a person's planned disengagement. For all participants exiting a project, the youth diversion projects should identify other services that could engage the young person; identify specific agency support that may be needed by the young person; make contact with that service provider on behalf of the young person; prepare the young person for leaving the project; and follow up periodically on the progression of the young person after leaving the project and record any relevant details sent annually to the Department for reporting purposes.
The diversion programme has proved to be very successful in diverting young people under 18 away from crime by offering guidance and support to them and their families. It is important that we consider the supports and interventions needed for young people as they move into adulthood because personal circumstances do not just change overnight when someone turns 18.
I come from an area where I was involved in a youth project where young people would have dropped out of school. That is where the problems start arising. We worked very closely with the Garda where we had the young people on a training programme. The people we took in were over 15. It is important to note that in a lot of these cases there is no family support. This is what I am saying to the Minister of State about the youth diversion programme. When someone finishes with the programme, that family support may still not be there. I wonder about the checks and balances that are there and about review of the current scheme. For instance, we did a review of the operation. We had 50 young people in training at any one time. We did a review and looked at the people who were with us five years earlier. This was at a time when unemployment was high, but we found that 70% of them had full-time employment whereas the family history would not have been great as regards employment. It just goes to show that where proper supports are put in place it does work. Has there been any review of the programme over recent years?
I am grateful for the Deputy's insight and his sharing his experiences. If he has any suggestions, we will absolutely take them on board because we are always open to taking on board new and positive suggestions as regards updating or amending our strategy in this regard. I commented on our youth diversion projects but I want to comment on our plans to extend youth diversion programmes to people once they pass the age of 18. Our strategy includes actions to develop diversion-based responses for young adults aged 18 to 24. It should be noted that we are not seeking to replicate the statutory Garda youth diversion programme for the 18-to-24-year-old cohort because different considerations apply in the case of young adults, as the Deputy will be aware. Research tells us that young adults, not unlike adolescents, can be particularly vulnerable to peer pressure and difficult personal, social or economic factors, including substance misuse and the impact of childhood trauma.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The work being done by all those people involved in the youth diversion programme is fantastic. They work very hard, also liaising with the Garda. That is what I have found in my experience of working with the local gardaí as regards trying to help people who have dropped out of the education system. One of the problems you find with the youth diversion programme is that one of the reasons people end up in difficulty is as a result of falling out of the education system at a very early stage. Then we try to get them back into any kind of training. For instance, one of the big problems we found with people was difficulty with even literacy and numeracy and making sure there was training available for them. They are afraid of applying for jobs because they have a literacy problem. That is one of the problems. They are afraid of applying for any kind of apprenticeship or any kind of job because those skills are required. Will the Minister of State look at that issue as well?
I thank the Deputy for that. He has a particular interest as regards Cork. We have seen an increase in funding since 2022 and, specifically, an overall increase in funding for the Cork youth diversion projects in the order of €1.8 million. I have here a statement in tabular format detailing the increase in funding which I will have our officials forward on to the Deputy afterwards. He is right, and that increase in funding should and does alleviate the types of issues he has raised in terms of numeracy and literacy.
9. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the measures his Department is taking to increase the staffing levels in the Criminal Assets Bureau to facilitate the increased detection of the proceeds of crime due to the reduction of the threshold from €13,000 to €5,000. [36379/25]
I thank Deputy McGreehan for this timely question. The reason I say it is timely is that, as she is aware, last week marked the anniversary of the murder of Veronica Guerin, which, as the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy Maxwell, will be aware as well, had a transformative effect on the policing of Irish criminals. One of the consequences of her murder was that laws were changed whereby we could go after criminals in the civil courts. The proceeds of crime legislation and the Criminal Assets Bureau legislation were direct consequences of that.
It is also instructive to note that when I am at European meetings - I know this is the same with the Ministers of State, Deputies Brophy and Collins - many of our colleagues from other European countries are very interested to hear that Ireland has a system in place to seize the assets of criminals and that it is a system based not on the criminal law but on the civil law and the civil standard of proof. Since that legislation was introduced nearly 30 years ago, it has been cutting-edge legislation that is now being followed by the rest of Europe and, I am sure, further afield.
It is also a timely question from Deputy McGreehan because yesterday I received from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel a stamped copy of the proceeds of crime Bill that I intend to introduce as soon as possible. The key reform under this legislation is the reduction of the waiting period for asset disposal from seven years to two, significantly accelerating access to seized assets. There is a whole series of other matters in the Bill which I will return to at a future date in the House.
As regards Deputy McGreehan's question about the budget and resourcing of CAB, I am pleased to tell her that the CAB budget for 2025 is €12.75 million, which is an increase of 13% since 2023. Between 2018 and 2024, authorised staff resources in CAB increased steadily from 90 to 101. There are also further details of CAB plans which are available in its strategic plan, which is published on the Department website. It is important to know that we will continue to resource CAB as it is an essential tool in our fight against crime.
I thank the Minister. After the tragic and desperate loss of a lady of the calibre of Veronica Guerin, we have done a lot of good in her memory and name. CAB has been a hugely successful organisation and, as the Minister said, has been mirrored and copied in other countries.
We must ensure any resource that CAB needs, it gets because it is an incredibly effective organisation. We see the reality of crime in County Louth and all across the Border region. We see fuel smuggling and drug trafficking across the Border. Locally, and particularly in north Louth - I am sure it is mirrored across the Border counties - it often feels like we are seeing criminals operate with near impunity. As the Minister knows, the intent behind lowering the threshold for CAB from €13,000 to €5,000 was to root out all crime and ensure no ill-gotten gain was too small to pursue. We owe that to those who are law-abiding.
I have had the honour of going to Walter Scott House to meet Superintendent Gubbins, who heads up CAB. I am very impressed by the work it is doing. Although Walter Scott House is a fine new building, I am aware that the work of CAB is expanding and I am conscious that the expansion of its numbers will require further facilities. My Department has submitted a proposal as part of the review of the national development plan for funding for CAB accommodation. CAB is currently liaising with the OPW to find new accommodation. As any Minister will tell you, negotiations in respect of the national development plan are ongoing. I cannot guarantee it will happen - it is simply part of a proposal submitted - but it is something I am anxious to see occur. I want Deputy McGreehan to know that the Government will continue to support the growth and expansion of CAB to recover assets for the State. It is extremely important for criminals to know that if they stay in Ireland, their assets will be seized if it is not the case that they will be convicted and brought before the courts.
It is good to hear that the Minister has been working on the commitment in the programme for Government. He mentioned the Bill that will come before the House. I reiterate it is important that we see a Border CAB unit looking at the Border region. It is not fair on law-abiding citizens and retailers that we have smuggling and illegal fuel coming across the Border. These are criminals whose criminal activity comes under the guise of smuggling. I want to ensure they are held to account.
I agree with Deputy McGreehan. One of the reasons many serious criminals from Ireland have left and gone further afield is the threat they were exposed to from CAB. That is a positive development.
I want the Deputy to know there is no part of the country that is free from CAB's supervision or surveillance. In all communities around the country, CAB has initiated proceedings against individuals where it is believed they have assets which are the proceeds of crime and I want that to continue. I am sure it is happening in the Border region as well as other regions. It is not simply an organisation that concentrates its attention on Dublin or Cork or the main cities. It is absolutely national in its reach and international when it comes to its co-operation with other agencies.
Again, I agree with Deputy McGreehan. I will continue to resource CAB, which wants to extend its powers. This will happen through legislation I will introduce shortly into the House.
10. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an outline of the findings of the report of the civil legal aid review group, which has indicated that he has received the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36599/25]
The Minister will know there is significant concern in the legal profession and elsewhere on the time it has taken for the civil legal aid review group to complete its work. I understand he has now received the report from that group. Can the Minister give us an outline of the findings of the report which he previously cited in response to me and could he give an indication of when that report will be published?
I thank Deputy Carthy for that. As he stated, the civil legal aid review group completed its reports recently. In April, I received a majority report from the group and a minority report from former Chief Justice Frank Clarke. I had the opportunity to read both and am discussing within my Department how I will progress them.
I am satisfied with the need to increase the thresholds available to those seeking access to the civil legal aid scheme. Sometimes people confuse more money for the civil legal aid scheme as being more money for lawyers. It is not about lawyers; it is about ensuring citizens have access to the means by which they can vindicate their constitutional or statutory rights. Law is extremely complex. We keep producing vast amounts of it in this House and we also have European law on top of that. In order to navigate the law, the reality is we need legal advice and assistance.
I propose in the short term to put the reports out for public consultation. While that is happening, I want the Deputy to know I will ask my Department to work on how we can give effect to some of the recommendations contained in the reports. There will be a consequence to increasing thresholds and making civil legal aid more accessible to people. This is something I want to achieve but the consequence is that more work will have to be done. I need to ensure there are resources on the ground for private practitioners and solicitors working within the legal aid board offices around the country to facilitate them in providing for this greater level of work.
I thank the former Chief Justice for the report and I hope to be in a position to publish both reports shortly.
As the Minister may recall, my interest in this matter comes from several different angles but particularly as a result of work I have done with women, predominantly, who have sought protection or barring orders and have tried to secure legal representation under the civil legal aid entitlements but cannot get legal representation. The Minister told me this would be considered in the context of this review. While increasing access to legal aid is absolutely laudable at the centre of this particular crisis, I am told by both women and legal practitioners that the problem is the legal aid fees paid to solicitors on the District Court panel of family law solicitors. That is what is deterring solicitors from taking on cases. Part of the problem for this particular type of court is that there are many adjournments, and this can make it unsustainable.
Thank you, Deputy.
What the Minister has described to me sounds like many further delays. For these women in particular, I want to know if this is going to be addressed.
Yes, it will be addressed. When a very detailed report comes in - or indeed two reports; I have no objection to receiving majority and minority reports - it must be carefully considered. There is no point in me announcing I will implement the report and then people asking when this will be done and how that implementation will take place.
As the Deputy will be aware, civil legal aid is provided by the legal aid board, primarily through a network of law centres and solicitors employed by the board. There are times when the board will engage private solicitors to supplement the services provided by board solicitors in certain areas of law on a case-by-case basis. I am aware of issues arising in respect of family law and predominantly women who must go before the courts because they are in a family law predicament. We need to ensure they have access to appropriate legal advice in order to facilitate them in vindicating their rights under the Constitution and under statute. It is progressing, the reports are completed and my Department is working on them. I hope to put in place a proposal in the near future for the Government.
I understand there are processes involved but this is three years in the making and now the Minister is talking about consultation processes. He must put himself in the shoes of those who want to secure a barring order or a civil protection order but currently cannot get legal representation. If they were listening to two politicians talk about process, the Minister can imagine the frustration that would be there.
Can the Minister give a timeframe for when this particular issue will be resolved? Further, to put on the record, does the Minister also accept there is an issue here for the number of solicitors willing to take on this work? One way or another, it needs to be addressed. Does the Minister accept there are particular geographical issues where this issue is especially acute?
Does he have any short-term measures that he can put in place to resolve what is a crisis for many people?
I accept there is an issue in terms of solicitors being available to do this very important work. Part of the problem is that because the Irish economy is doing so well, it is attractive for solicitors to get work elsewhere, other than in the areas the Deputy is discussing here or other areas such as criminal legal aid under the criminal legal aid scheme. We need to ensure the fees that are payable are heightened to ensure we get solicitors who are prepared to do this valuable work. We need to recognise, and I welcome that the Deputy has acknowledged this, that there is a difference between the story that we are just getting more fees for lawyers and looking at the purpose of it. The purpose of paying more fees to lawyers is to ensure that the women the Deputy talks about, the individuals who want to access and vindicate their rights before the courts, are able to do that. They cannot do that unless they get access to legal advice. I accept that there is an issue and that the fees will have to increase to try to attract more solicitors to do this private work.
11. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on his Department's engagement with the Department of Transport regarding the proposed transport security force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36531/25]
The programme for Government commits to creating a transport security force. While this is a priority, responsibility for its establishment lies with the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority. On 18 June, the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, met with the Minister for Transport to discuss the proposed transport security force. The Department of Transport is developing the necessary legislative proposals but the model remains under consideration and the process is at an early stage. New legislation is required, which takes time to develop and implement.
I assure the Deputy that ensuring the safety of public transport passengers and staff remains a key priority while this work is ongoing. Antisocial behaviour affects many areas, including public transport. Responsibility for safety primarily rests with public transport companies, working closely with An Garda Síochána where appropriate. An Garda Síochána has tools to respond to antisocial behaviour on public transport. Garda management works closely with operators such as the NTA, Irish Rail, including DART and InterCity, and Transdev Ireland, which operates the Luas, thereby maintaining a high-visibility and co-ordinated policing presence. An Garda Síochána is actively working to address issues on public transport, including through dedicated operations such as Operation Twin Tracks and Operation Saul. A range of regional and local operations have been put in place by gardaí to prevent and detect criminal activity on public transport.
The aim of Operation Saul, for example, is to provide a safe environment for commuters utilising all public transport services in the Dublin metropolitan region. This operation can reassure citizens, visitors and the business community that Dublin is a safe place in which to visit, socialise and conduct business. In 2024, 683 arrests and 1,339 charges or summonses were effected under this operation.
I appreciate the recent steps to improve transport security, including the increased budget of over €11 million for a security presence through the Department of Transport, Operation Saul and the new public transport hubs. However, we have to keep moving on the commitment to establish a transport security force. In 2024 alone, over 4,200 complaints were received reporting incidents of drug use, violence and sexual assault. Reports of antisocial behaviour on Dublin Bus have almost doubled since the pandemic and there have been incidents on the Maynooth line where schoolchildren have been targeted.
The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has recently engaged with the Department of Transport, which is positive. We need to keep those meetings going until there is clarity on the legislative framework, the powers and remit given to the transport police and the interaction of the transport security force with An Garda Síochána.
The Deputy is right that this is at the early stages and is in development. It is a priority, as I have outlined. The new transport force will have to interact with An Garda Síochána and that will be an operational issue for both organisations. It is primarily a matter for the parties involved to work out how they will operate the new system once the new transport security force is put in place. The aim of all concerned is to improve the security of the public who are using public transport. I know that An Garda Síochána will continue to play its part in that regard.
I want to raise the issue of Garda numbers in Dublin West. Some 120 new recruits were attested overall in June and 74 were allocated to Dublin. According to local gardaí in my area, only four came to the Garda's K district. Of 150 new recruits in March, 98 were sent to the city centre and four to the K district. The K district consists of Blanchardstown, Cabra and Finglas and is one of the busiest districts in the country. Last year, in one 24-hour period, it had more calls than all of the other Dublin districts combined. Gardaí in the K district have to deal with antisocial behaviour, criminal damage and assaults. I am told it has the highest number of domestic incidents in the country and it has gangland crime, as well as Blanchardstown town centre and Áras an Uachtaráin to manage. There are only four inspectors across three stations for a population of approximately 200,000 people. It is not sustainable. We have brilliant gardaí but we do not have enough of them. What needs to happen for the K district to get the same level of attention and allocation that is currently being given to Dublin city centre?
We discussed at length earlier the whole issue of Garda recruitment. As the Deputy knows, it is a significant priority in the programme for Government to increase Garda recruitment by about 5,000 over the lifetime of this Government. We have made a very good and resounding start. Last month, in June, another 170 trainees entered Templemore, following on from 201 in March, the largest intake since 2019. Some 120 new gardaí were attested in June and 74 of those were assigned to the Dublin metropolitan region, which is the vast majority of those who were attested. How the Commissioner allocates gardaí who are exiting Templemore following their attestation is an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner and something we do not get involved in. The allocation of recruits from Templemore regularly gets raised with me regarding my own area of Limerick. It is challenging but it is something we are working to increase.
12. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to a Topical Issue raised on 19 October 2023, if he will outline the current total number of allegations of child sexual abuse involving any member of the Probation Service that he or his Department have been made aware of; if he has considered putting in place a non-adversarial redress scheme, if appropriate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36677/25]
I thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this question. I acknowledge his long-standing interest in this issue and his persistent raising of the matter, which is of significant importance.
I have confirmed with my officials that there have been two historic allegations of child sexual abuse made in relation to staff of the Probation Service. Both relate to alleged incidents in the 1970s by a former staff member who is now deceased. When the first allegation came to the attention of the Probation Service in 2000, An Garda Síochána and relevant services were notified and a criminal investigation was initiated. In recent years, the Probation Service became aware of a second allegation against the same former staff member, who by that time was deceased.
The matter is currently the subject of a legal claim which is being managed by the State Claims Agency on behalf of my Department.
Since the most recent allegation referred to above, the victims' unit of the Probation Service has put out several communications to encourage any relevant victims to contact it. I have been advised that no further victims have come forward. The Probation Service has confirmed that it has no current allegations on hand.
Like Deputy McAuliffe, I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of any kind of sexual assault to reach out for help and support and to report the matter to An Garda Síochána. There is also a range of victim support services available. These are listed on the victims' charter website.
Deputy McAuliffe raised the issue of whether or not the Department considered the introduction of a redress scheme. As I said, there is a case currently being dealt with by the State Claims Agency, my Department is aware of one other case and no other victims have come forward. In all the circumstances, it would seem more appropriate to allow that case that is currently in the system to be concluded rather than starting a new process at this stage.
I appreciate the Minister outlining in detail the previous work that has been done on this case. As he said, there is now confirmation by the Department of two reports of allegations of child sexual abuse. In the Minister's words, they relate to a "deceased" member of the Probation Service. Of course, this matter has also been the topic of much media coverage. The "RTÉ Investigates" programme carried out an investigation, entitled "Scouts Dishonour", in which it referred to the then chief scout, the late Joe Lawlor, and allegations in regard to him and his service in the Probation Service. Joe Duffy, on RTÉ, has also discussed this case in much detail.
I appreciate that these cases are incredibly sensitive. Unfortunately, for victims of abuse, there is a stigma in coming forward, but if you were also the subject of the Probation Service, there is almost a double stigma in coming forward because you have to reveal that as well.
I thank the Deputy. He put that very sensitively and appropriately. I am aware of the allegations made against Scouting Ireland. I recall the "RTÉ Investigates" programme and, indeed, I very much recall the very powerful work done by Joe Duffy on his programme in interviewing people who had been subject of abuse while they were in the scouts. On the Probation Service, there was a slight overlap, certainly in the case of one individual concerned, between the Probation Service and the scouts. Of course, the vast majority of work done by the Probation Service was done in respect of people who were not children but, notwithstanding that, it is an issue that has to be closely watched.
On the basis of the information we have at present, however, in circumstances where there are only two allegations, it would be difficult for me to recommend or propose some form of a redress scheme when the numbers are so limited. I note what the Deputy says, that there may be other people out there who are hesitant about coming forward, but I would be interested to hear his proposals as to how we could encourage them to do so.
Perhaps a redress scheme would be overly complex and result in people receiving justice delayed. Equally, we should not be placing the burden on victims of having to sue the State. That is not necessarily the best way forward. We have seen in other cases where people's only option is to sue the State and often justice is incredibly delayed. Perhaps there is a mechanism here to try to mediate this and to try to come forward with a non-adversarial solution.
The criminal justice process is not an option because the person is deceased but there are also questions about what the State knew about this gentleman's service. He worked for the Probation Service for decades. It is incredibly important that whatever information or files are available to the Department of justice are reviewed and we air what was known. As we have seen with other cases of sexual abuse, it is important there is transparency about what happens.
I will make inquiries in respect of the case that is ongoing at present. If it is the case that there is clearly liability on the part of the State, I would like to see that case resolved in a mediated fashion. I will speak to the Attorney General in respect of that case.
Obviously, the Deputy is correct that it puts many burdens on people to sue the State, but a couple of years ago the Attorney General published a protocol for how the State should deal with persons who were suing it. If it is the case that there is liability on the part of the State, I would like to see that liability acknowledged by the State.
However, sometimes the difficulty in resolving a court case can be in respect of the quantum. I am not saying that is so in this particular case but if there is an issue in respect of quantum, that is when, as the Deputy suggested, a mediator could be put in place to try to see if a mediated settlement could be facilitated.
13. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the roll-out of local community safety partnerships in Dublin West; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36530/25]
I thank the Minister for bringing the regulations into effect for the local community safety partnerships so they can get up and running. This new approach will involve residents, social workers, youth workers, businesses, education representatives as well as An Garda Síochána and State agencies. The initiative is important to us in Fine Gael and I commend the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on developing this vision. Can the Minister provide an update on the roll-out of local community safety partnerships in Dublin West?
I thank Deputy Currie. I am pleased to be able to answer the Deputy's question this time as opposed to the previous time.
The Minister was very keen.
If I am answering the wrong question, my very vigilant Ministers of State will tell me I am doing something wrong. The Deputy is correct in stating that last week, I signed the regulations giving effect to the local community safety partnerships, LCSPs. They came into force on Monday of this week.
As the Deputy will be aware, much work has already been done in respect of local community safety partnerships, but now we have the regulations in place and people will be aware that we have to put in place these partnerships as they are an essential part in ensuring that the public in those particular areas are served.
The regulations outline clearly how the safety partnerships will operate in practice and will ensure that each partnership operates with transparency, focus and strong local engagement. The Deputy will be aware, from the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, that community safety requires multi-agency co-operation. That is why the legislation specifically requires that we have not only gardaí and elected representatives from the local authorities on it, but also people from the HSE or Tusla, in order to recognise that many of the issues that arise do not only concern policing, but also relate to community safety and community partnership.
Deputy Currie raised the issue in respect of her area in terms of her constituency of Dublin West. There is an issue there because administrative boundaries require that certain areas fall into neighbouring LCSPs but the overarching aim is to maintain a co-ordinated place-based response to community safety needs.
I want the Deputy to be aware, in terms of her own constituency and, indeed, all other constituencies, that within my Department there is the National Office for Community Safety. It will have a responsibility in terms of providing guidance to local community safety partnerships as to how they should deal with issues in the area.
Community partnerships have the potential to truly impact community safety because intervention and prevention are not only the remit of the Garda. We have to bring local stakeholders to the table to tackle local problems with local solutions.
I am wondering how the Minister will ensure residents know about this initiative. Will there be a local campaign or a local awareness drive? I believe €5.5 million has been provided to set the partnerships up. How does the Minister envisage these funds being spent? Will there be a community safety partnership office, for instance, situated in the community for people to access?
There is also the community safety fund putting proceeds from crime back into communities, but it is only €4 million. The local partnerships, if they are working, will have strategies and recommendations and those solutions need to be funded and will not always fit neatly under local authority or State agency budget lines. I hope the Minister will take an active role in ensuring the partnerships are working from the ground up as well as from the top down.
I will be taking an active role. It is an important time and occasion, now that these regulations have been signed and are being rolled out. The community partnerships will not be on their own trying to formulate their own guidance because, as I said, there will be a National Office for Community Safety, which is a statutory office that will be based within my Department. That office will be providing guidance for the partnerships with overlapping areas. Such collaboration can include exploring opportunities for joint initiatives, shared resources and joint meetings as well.
As laid out in the regulations, each local community partnership may have up to 30 members. Mandatory members will include representatives from the local authority, An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and the Child and Family Agency. Each local community safety partnership will be supported by two full-time permanent staff within the local authority. Each partnership will be led by a voluntary chair and vice chairperson who will be elected from among the membership.
It is my intent to start meeting these partnerships. It is very important that all of us, and me in particular, start selling them and telling people about the benefits that come from them.
I thank the Minister for the update. I will circle back to the matter of Garda numbers because community safety also depends on that. There should not be inconsistency across the districts in the Dublin metropolitan region. The K district might be losing out to the city centre at the moment but, historically, there have been inconsistencies with other Dublin districts as well. There is potentially one Garda for every 531 people in the K versus one Garda for every 397 people in a neighbouring district that has significantly lower crime statistics. Gardaí in the K are hungry, driven and dedicated, which is very evident when one works with them. The leadership is rolling out very positive and proactive initiatives. It has a very high proportion of gardaí who are still within their probation period. That is how new the force is in the district. Will the Minister examine the inconsistency and encourage evidence-based policy across population, crime statistics and geography? We need to receive the same attention as the city centre.
I agree with the Deputy regarding the K district in Blanchardstown. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I went to Blanchardstown Garda station and had the pleasure of meeting the gardaí there. They do excellent work. It is a very demanding and busy station.
The Deputy mentioned that I needed to get involved in directing the Garda Commissioner as to where Garda numbers should go. I will not do that. If I start doing that, it will then become a very politicised system whereby the Garda Commissioner simply responds to where the Minister wants gardaí to go. Where will that lead us in the future, if the Minister or Ministers of State ask for lots of gardaí to be put into their constituencies or to have more? I will not do that. I will leave An Garda Síochána, the Commissioner and the senior staff to make a determined calculation as to where they wish new Garda recruits to go. They are the best-positioned people to determine it and they assess all the factors. Just because a Garda recruit does not come to a station direct from Templemore does not mean that stations such as Blanchardstown do not get people transferred there.
