Written Answers Nos. 550-569
556. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of contracted bed days in IPAS centres which were unoccupied in each month of 2024, to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56535/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra557. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the mechanism by which he is aware when contracted IPAS beds are unoccupied; if there is an oversight mechanism to ensure that his Department is not paying for unoccupied beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56536/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 556 and 557 together.
My Department has been unable to provide a response to this question within the prescribed timeframe. A response will issue directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
558. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of contracted bed days in TPD accommodation which were unoccupied in each month of 2024, to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56537/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra559. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the mechanism by which he is aware when contracted TPD accommodation beds are unoccupied; if there is an oversight mechanism to ensure that his Department is not paying for unoccupied beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56538/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 558 and 559 together.
It 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.
560. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 57 of 9 October 2025, the timeframe in which he intends to progress legislation to amend eligibility criteria for the accommodation recognition payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56539/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a goodwill payment to recognise the contribution of hosts who have opened their homes to temporary protection beneficiaries from Ukraine. The scheme is administered by the Department of Social Protection on my behalf.
Some 41,000 persons who have fled the war in Ukraine are currently being accommodated in almost 23,000 hosted accommodations with the support of this scheme.
In July 2025, the Government agreed to a proposal brought jointly by the Minister for Housing and myself for the governing legislation to be amended to limit eligibility for the ARP to properties that are not rental properties with a view to safeguarding such accommodation for tenants. This will involve amendments to the legislation governing the scheme, Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022.
There is ongoing engagement between officials in my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of the proposed changes. It is intended that the legislative amendments in respect of the scheme will be included in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill that is currently being drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government (OPC). Officials in both Departments will engage with OPC as required. Officials in the Department of Social Protection and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) are also examining mechanisms to give operational effect to the intended legislation.
I hope that the Bill will be published in the coming weeks, and that the legislation and operational mechanisms will be in place in the near future.
561. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for a general overview of the current average processing times for naturalisation applications; the specific measures being taken by the Department to address backlogs and delays, particularly for long-term residents with established family and professional ties in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56572/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can assure the Deputy that my Department is taking measures to progress applications for citizenship as quickly as possible and has taken a significant number of steps to speed up the process for applicants.
These included introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting. This digitisation has facilitated a record number of citizenship decisions made last 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 made more than 31,000 decisions in 2024.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are reducing processing times. The median processing time for a decision on an application in 2024 was 8 months. This is a significant decrease from the median processing time of 15 months in 2023 and 19 months in 2022.
Furthermore, my Department held 24 citizenship ceremonies last year, an increase from the 15 ceremonies held in 2023, and the 6 that were held in 2022. My Department has already held 19 ceremonies this year, with more planned for later in the year.
I expect that going forward, the majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year, however, it is important to note that no two naturalisation applications are the same and some take longer than others to process.
Given the importance of citizenship, robust and comprehensive checks must take place on each application. Unfortunately some checks, such as international checks, can take a considerable amount of time and these are largely outside of the control of the Immigration Service.
There are no provisions to apply different criteria depending on a persons familial status, profession, or how long they have been resident in the state.
562. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department, and the Prison Service, will consider extending the mandatory retirement age for prison officers beyond the current 62 years. [56612/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2024, Government approved increasing the maximum retirement age to 62 years of age for a number of the uniform services, including the Irish Prison Service. This increased retirement age reflects the reality across all sectors that people can and want to work in their chosen careers for longer.
The legislative basis to increase the retirement age was included in the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024. Section 28 of this Act amended the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956 to provide a power to make regulations relating to the retirement age of prison officers. The Civil Service Regulation Act 1956 (Retirement of Prison Officers) Regulations 2024 were made pursuant to this power and specified a maximum retirement age of 62 years for prison officers with effect from 19 August 2024.
I can advise the Deputy that while there are currently no plans to increase the retirement age of prison officers further, these matters are kept under review.
563. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if it is the practice of the Minister to issue a warrant or letter of appointment in relation to the appointment of a person under section 11 of the Personal Insolvency Act 2012. [56623/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra564. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if it is the practice of the Minister to issue a warrant or letter of appointment in relation to the appointment of people under Section 12 of the Personal Insolvency Act 2012. [56624/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 563 and 564 together.
I can assure the Deputy that appointments made under the Personal Insolvency Act 2012 are made validly and in accordance with law under section 11 and 12 of that Act.
565. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if it is the practice of the Minister to issue a warrant or letter of appointment in relation to the appointment of a person under section 17, Courts Service Act 1998. [56625/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs per Section 17 of the Courts Service Act 1998, the Chief Executive Officer of the Courts Service is appointed by the Board of the Courts Service, subject to the Minister’s approval to the terms and conditions contained in the contract, together with the consent of the Minister for Finance; responsibility for which has since moved to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
566. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Gardaí available to Cahir Garda station; the number of Gardaí available to Clonmel Garda Station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56640/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the interest of transparency, An Garda Síochána publishes information in relation to the allocation of Gardaí nationally, including a breakdown for each Garda station. This can be found at the following link:
www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/human-resources-and-people-development/garda-hr-directorate/garda-strength-breakdown-2025/
The Deputy should select August 2025 (the latest date for when figures are available) and then select the report titled ‘Garda members by Division, District Station 2009 to 31 of August 2025’
The Garda Commissioner is responsible under section 33 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 for the distribution and stationing of Garda personnel throughout the State.
567. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the status of a visa application for a person (details supplied); the reason for the delay; when the person's application will be processed. [56641/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that the visa applications referred to were created on 13 January 2025. The applications together with supporting documentation were received by the South Africa Visa Desk on 27 January 2025 where they await examination and processing.
My Department’s business target for join family visa applications is 12 months. It must be made clear that these are business targets for the immigration service. The business target reflects the detailed and often complex assessment that is required to be carried out in relation to applications for family reunification.
While I acknowledge the personal difficulties an applicant might be experiencing; it is not possible to give a definitive date as to when these applications will be finalised. All applications are processed in chronological order, based on date order of receipt.
While every effort is made to process applications as soon as possible, processing times will vary having regard to the volume and complexity of applications, the possible need for the Immigration Service Delivery function of my Department to investigate, inquire into, or seek further information, and the resources available.
The Dublin Visa Office have established a dedicated “South Africa desk” to process applications from residents of South Africa. Target processing times and weekly decision reports, for this desk, are available at the following link:
www.irishimmigration.ie/south-africa-visa-desk/
I am acutely aware that join family applications are very important for the people impacted. I understand that people are eager to have their families join them in Ireland, and I am committed to improving the service my Department provides.
The person concerned can now directly check the status of their visa application on the Immigration Service’s Customer Service Portal. They can register for, or log in to their existing account, at:
www.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.
568. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to consider the establishment of a second Garda training college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56646/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra569. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to consider allowing Garda trainees to undergo part of their training course in regionally based universities or Technological universities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56647/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 568 and 569 together.
The Programme for Government, Securing Ireland’s Future, makes a number of commitments in relation to training capacity at the Garda Training College, which are to:
• Continue to support and expand the Garda Training College in Templemore as the main and primary Garda Training college;
• Consider the establishment of a second Garda training college;
• Consider allowing Garda trainees to undergo part of their training course in regionally based Universities or Technological Universities.
Recruiting 5,000 Gardaí over the lifetime of the Government will routinely require Intakes in the range of 200 to 250. The Garda College is operating at near full capacity, currently in the range of 800-900 trainees per annum.
To meet the Government’s recruitment targets, capacity to accommodate in the region of 1,000 recruits each year, or 250 per intake, is required. An Garda Síochána has advised that there are currently constraints in terms of the teaching, classroom and accommodation capacity of the College. A plan to address short-term capacity issues in the Garda College, as well as address required maintenance works, has been put in place by AGS who are engaging intensively with the Office of Public Works (OPW) on the requirements for classroom space in particular.
An Garda Síochána are also working to address other operational requirements for 2025 and 2026. Works commenced on the campus in Templemore during the summer of 2025 and will be overseen by OPW. These measures are being funded from within the existing Garda budget for 2025 and will be prioritised for funding from within the Garda allocation in 2026. When this work is completed it is expected that the College will be able to accommodate up to 250 trainees per intake.
The Deputy may also be aware that my predecessor established the Recruitment and Training Capacity Group in 2024 to support the achievement of increased recruitment. The Group has now completed its work and has published its report, which details the changes that have already been made by Government, An Garda Síochána and publicjobs to their end-to-end processes for Garda Trainee recruitment, including increased recruitment age and training allowance, shortened recruitment timeframes, reform of the physical competency test, introduction of an Assessment Centre approach to elements of recruitment and two recruitment competitions launched in 2025. These changes have significantly improved the situation on recruitment and the Group is satisfied that the process has been made much more efficient.
The Group has recommended that research be conducted to gain further insight on the decision-making process of potential Garda recruits, to help inform further enhancements to the recruitment process.
The Report also recommends that a Working Group be established, in line with the commitments in the Programme for Government, to consider specifically the case for a second training college and the role that the tertiary system (which includes regionally based universities and technological universities) could play in the delivery of Garda training. Work is underway to establish this group and I have instructed my officials that the group should report to me by July 2026.
