Written Answers Nos. 557-571
557. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the structural and-or senior personnel changes he has made, or that have been made, in his Department since he became Minister. [73277/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Public Service Management Act, 1997, as Minister I am responsible for the performance of functions that are assigned to the Department and the Secretary General is responsible for assigning responsibilities to officers of the Department.
In line with a number of Programme for Government commitments, my Department has undergone very significant structural change since I was appointed as Minister on 23 January last.
Responsibility for integration, International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS), and the Ukraine Division transferred to my Department from, what was then, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, and Integration on 1 May 2025. This included the transfer of all staff, approximately 340 people, alongside a substantial budget transfer of approximately €2.1 billion. As my Department already had responsibility for immigration and migration and the processing of applications for international protection, this transfer underpins a more cohesive and strategic approach to migration and integration.
In addition, responsibility for cyber security policy and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) transferred to my Department from the then Department of the Environment, Communications and Climate on 2 June. The NCSC is the lead government agency on cyber security.
These transfers involved the transfer of all staff involved in this work including, at senior level, a Deputy Secretary General, two Assistant Secretaries General, three Directors and some 30 Principal Officers join the Department.
On 1 August, responsibility for the Property Services Regulatory Authority and its Appeals Board moved from my Department to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, while responsibility for the Irish Film Classification Office transferred from my Department to the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
In addition to the structural changes and associated personnel changes outlined above, a new Head of Finance and Operations post at Assistant Secretary level was sanctioned and recruited following an open recruitment competition carried out under the Top Level Appointments Committee.
558. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if any urgent assistance is available to an individual (details supplied) to facilitate a return to Ireland in advance of the Christmas period. [73307/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can inform the Deputy that my officials have been in contact with the individual in question and the Irish embassy in Warsaw, and that the matter is being dealt with.
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.
559. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an itemised breakdown on Anti-Trafficking Expenditure for 2023, 2024, 2025 and funds disbursed to civil society agencies, academic institutes, training providers, service providers and all other organisations and-or agencies in the State and outside of the State for education, awareness raising, service delivery, victim engagement, training and-or any other relevant associated costs; and if he will outline the transparent public-facing application processes involved in applying for funding and discretionary funding provided by the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73342/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Victims of Crime Fund provides funding to partner organisations delivering services to multiple victim cohorts; including victims of sexual exploitation, violent crime and human trafficking. Funding is allocated on the basis of services provided and victim needs, rather than by reference to a specific offence category. The funding enables the provision of services supporting victims at different stages of the criminal justice system. This includes the provision of emotional and practical support, information and advice on the rights of victims, court accompaniment services, specialised counselling services, helplines and accompaniment to Garda interviews for those who have experienced traumatic incidents; including victims of trafficking.
As a result, it is not possible to provide an itemised breakdown of expenditure attributable solely to human trafficking for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, nor to disaggregate funding by offence type across civil society organisations, academic institutions, training providers or service providers. In addition, a number of actions relevant to combating human trafficking, including training, awareness-raising, operational activity and international engagement, are delivered within the existing budgets of statutory bodies such as An Garda Síochána, the HSE, Tusla and other Departments.
Funding under the Victims of Crime Fund is awarded through an open, transparent and competitive application process. Applications are assessed against set criteria, including governance standards, service delivery capacity, value for money and alignment with Government priorities. Grant allocations are published annually, and funded organisations are subject to rigorous reporting, monitoring and audit requirements.
560. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of employees, and budget, for each year since its inception to date of the National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC, in tabular form; to outline plans for future development of the NCSC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73354/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with commitments made in the Programme for Government, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) transferred to my Department from the Department of the Environment, Communications and Climate on 2 June 2025. The primary role of the NCSC is to monitor, detect and respond to cyber security incidents of all types in the State, and to build cyber resilience.
Work is ongoing to update the National Cyber Security Strategy, which will see a multi-sectoral approach to strengthening Ireland’s resilience in the field, and increasing the skills-base within the country. The NCSC has recently published the National Cyber Risk Assessment, which will play a key role in guiding the direction of the forthcoming strategy. My Department will also shortly launch a public consultation process for the strategy.
I was pleased to recently secure a current funding allocation of €12 million in Budget 2026 for the NCSC. This is a very substantial increase of €4.1 million. This increased funding is due to the significant expansion in scope and role of the centre as a consequence of the NIS2 Directive and the forthcoming National Cyber Security Bill. Once this Bill is enacted, the NCSC will act as the lead authority, responsible for national supervision frameworks, guidance, and EU-level co-ordination. It will also set national cyber security guidance and facilitate consistency across sectors.
The Revised Estimates Volume for the Public Service is published in mid-December every year. It will provide more detail on the allocations that were announced in the Budget.
I am informed that the information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the below table.
|
Year |
Budget (Current) |
Budget (Capital) |
Staff* |
|
2025** |
€7,900,000 |
€2,800,000 |
89 |
|
2024 |
€7,900,000 |
€2,800,000 |
73 |
|
2023 |
€5,500,000 |
€5,450,000 |
55 |
|
2022 |
€2,500,000 |
€2,600,000 |
43 |
|
2021 |
€2,500,000 |
€2,600,000 |
29 |
|
2020 |
€1,500,000 |
€200,000 |
24 |
|
2019*** |
€1,500,000 |
€200,000 |
22 |
*Whole-Time-Equivalent. Staffing costs are funded from within the administrative pay budget, which is shown separately in the REV.
** Post Supplementary Estimate adjustments in November 2025 Current funding was €6,176,000 and Capital €500,000.
***While the NCSC was founded in 2011, prior to 2019, funding for the NCSC was not recorded as a separate line item in the annual Appropriation Accounts.
561. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of probate applications lodged in a probate office (details supplied) and waiting over six months to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73384/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I have no role in the exercise of Probate functions. The Probate Office is an office of the High Court. Management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in the exercise of their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution.
To be of assistance, my officials have made enquiries with the Courts Service. The Courts Service have advised that the Kilkenny Office provides a probate service for 3 counties, Carlow, Laois and Kilkenny. At present the waiting time in Kilkenny is approximately 4 months. However, there are 21 cases that are over 6 months, due the Kilkenny Office having to return them for outstanding queries.
562. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the plans there are to significantly increase Garda recruitment and make a career in policing more attractive to the younger generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73464/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraGetting more Gardaí on our streets to improve community safety and to prevent and detect crime is my first priority as Minister. This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with Budget 2026 providing unprecedented funding of €2.59 billion to support recruitment and staffing.
Recruitment into An Garda Síochána is now gathering real momentum. Overall, 794 trainees have entered the Garda College this year, the highest number since 2018. There was also significant interest in two Garda recruitment competitions, with over 11,100 people applying to join An Garda Síochána in 2025. This demonstrates that there is a strong and sustained interest in a career as a Garda amongst the public and further recruitment competitions will be run, as required, to ensure that there is a steady pipeline of new recruits ready to enter the Garda College.
The next intake of trainees to the college is in February 2026.
At the end of October, the total Garda personnel strength stood at over 18,000, which included 14,290 Gardaí, 3,487 Garda Staff, and 291 Reserves. I will continue to support An Garda Síochána to increase this number further so that we can see more Gardaí assigned all across the country.
563. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of gardaí stationed at Cabra Garda station in each of the years 2019 to 2025, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73466/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the interest of transparency, information in relation to the allocation of Gardaí by Division, Station and rank, including for Cabra Garda station, is publicly available and 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 the current month and access the file titled “Garda Members by Division District Station 2009 to the most recent date” for a breakdown of total Gardaí numbers by Garda station going back to 2009.
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. The Commissioner is independent in his functions under Section 34 of the Act and, as Minister, I am unable to direct the Commissioner in the deployment of Gardaí or Garda resources.
564. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the key measures taken under the remit of his Department to control insurance costs during 2025; his priorities for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73548/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is actively contributing to a programme of insurance reform which is being implemented on a whole-of-government basis.
There are clear signs that the market is responding to the Government’s actions, with insurers moving into previously challenging areas such as childcare, leisure activities and sports. We have also seen that incumbent providers are expanding their product offerings into areas such as SMEs, hospitality, agriculture, and energy, and there has been renewed international interest in Ireland as an insurance destination.
The Occupiers Liability Act 1995 was amended in 2023 with a view to making insurance more affordable for consumers, businesses and community groups. The amendments to the Act:
inserted into primary law a number of recent court decisions which rebalance the duty of care owed by occupiers to visitors and recreational users;
changed the standard to clarify that when the occupier of a property has acted with reckless disregard for a visitor or customer, it is the standard of reckless disregard rather than reasonable grounds which should apply in relation to any consideration of liability;
limited the circumstances in which a court can impose liability on the occupier of a premises where a person has entered onto premises for the purpose of committing an offence; and
allowed for a broader range of scenarios where it can be shown that a visitor or customer has voluntarily assumed a risk resulting in harm.
The amendments contained in the Act were designed to strike the right balance between ensuring businesses, community groups and organisers of events fulfil their duty of care responsibilities, while also acknowledging the importance of personal responsibility of visitors, recreational users and trespassers. The impact of these changes will be assessed over time.
As the Deputy will be aware, the first iteration of the Personal Injury Guidelines came into effect in April 2021 and have had a clear and significant cost saving impact since their introduction. On the 17 September, as required by section 7 of the Judicial Council Act 2019, I laid revised personal injury guidelines before the Houses of the Oireachtas. Prior to the laying of the documents, I consulted Ministerial colleagues and the Attorney General in relation to the proposed increase in award amounts contained in the Judicial Council’s proposals.
While there were concerns that any delay in the adoption of new guidelines could lead to the courts being invited to depart from the guidelines and to seek higher awards reflecting the effect of inflation, to be applied at the discretion of the Court, I was also conscious of concerns raised in relation to potential inflationary pressures. Therefore, it is my intention not to bring a Resolution before the Houses seeking the approval of the guidelines at this time. In effect, this means that the amended Guidelines cannot come into effect and the existing Guidelines will remain in place.
In addition, I have received Government approval to draft a general scheme of a Bill to amend the Judicial Council Act 2019 to make reviews of the Personal Injuries Guidelines more comprehensive and transparent. I intend to bring the General Scheme of the Bill to Government early in the New Year, after which it will be referred for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny.
The Government is conscious that further work needs to be done to compel insurance companies to lower their premia, a point that has been frequently made by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister of State Robert Troy, who has published a new Action Plan for Insurance Reform.
I am also conscious of the impact legal costs can have on insurance premia. I have received government approval to draft a Civil Reform Bill which among other matters will see the monetary jurisdiction of the District Court increase from €15,000 to €20,000 while in the Circuit Court it will increase from €75,000 to €100,000. The lower limit for personal injury cases in the Circuit Court will also increase from €60,000 to €100,000. These changes will result in a higher proportion of civil actions being heard in the District and Circuit Courts, leading to lower legal costs for all parties involved
565. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason ethnicity and nationality are not compulsorily recorded on the PULSE system, as in other EU member states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73590/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Policing, Security, and Community Safety Act 2024 the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the management of the PULSE system.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that when information on a person's nationality is known, it is generally recorded as part of their PULSE record. I am further informed that An Garda Síochána is aligned with the practice of the Central Statistical Office of not publishing or compiling crime statistics based on nationality, ethnicity or citizenship.
As the Deputy will be aware the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is Ireland's national statistical agency. The CSO is not a body under my aegis as Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, and I have no role in the CSO's operations, functions, oversight or governance.
The CSO, as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics. The CSO produces these statistics using data recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE system and makes regular releases in relation to various crime statistics.
Further information is available on their website at the following link:
www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-rqcs/reviewofthequalityofrecordedcrimestatistics2023/userneedsforrecordedcrimestatistics/
I should add that my Department is currently finalising proposals for the introduction of a criminal justice unique identifier, based on the PPSN. This will improve administrative efficiency in the criminal justice system and will provide better data for statistical analysis and policy making.
566. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of those from Ukraine who entered the State as beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive in each month of the past three years and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73679/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraBeneficiaries of Temporary Protection hold temporary permission to remain in Ireland, renewable annually for as long as the Directive remains in force.
On 15 July 2025, the Justice and Home Affairs Council extended Temporary Protection by a year until March 2027, providing certainty for beneficiaries who can continue to avail of the protections that the Directive provides.
The following table shows the number of temporary protection applications by month from 2023 until 2025.
|
Temporary Protection Applications |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Jan |
2753 |
1587 |
842 |
|
Feb |
3161 |
821 |
881 |
|
Mar |
3263 |
1082 |
658 |
|
Apr |
1972 |
757 |
600 |
|
May |
2833 |
913 |
683 |
|
Jun |
3205 |
1022 |
874 |
|
Jul |
3487 |
1209 |
1351 |
|
Aug |
2295 |
928 |
974 |
|
Sep |
3059 |
1118 |
2077 |
|
Oct |
3465 |
1092 |
1873 |
|
Nov |
2315 |
919 |
1331 |
|
Dec |
2301 |
1016 |
*656 |
|
Totals |
34109 |
12464 |
*12800 |
* Up to 17 December 2025.
567. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason there are requirements in law in relation to the competence of those providing Irish Sign Language interpretation for courts and public bodies but no such requirements in law in relation to the provision of other interpretation and translation in legal proceedings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73680/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that there are requirements in law in relation to the quality of interpretation and translation in legal proceedings.
The right to fair procedures is a central tenet of our criminal justice system. Ireland opted in to the EU Directive on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings - eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32010L0064 - and it was subsequently transposed into Irish law. This was done via two Statutory Instruments, one relating to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings - www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2013/si/565/made/en/print, which relates to the arrangements to be put in place by the Courts Service in respect of the conduct of court proceedings and the second which relates to Interpretation and Translation for Persons in Custody in Garda stations - /www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2013/si/564/made/en/print.
Article 5 of the Directive requires Member States to take ‘concrete measures’ to ensure the quality of the interpretation and translation services. Both of the SI’s include provisions regarding the quality of interpretation.
The manner in which these instruments are implemented in practice is an operational matter for An Garda Síochána and the Courts. The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. I cannot intervene in operational Garda matters, which fall under the Garda Commissioner’s remit, including the processes by which translation and interpretation services are provided. Management of the courts and operational matters, including the management of interpretation services, are the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in the exercising of its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution.
The Irish Sign Language Act 2017, which provides for Irish Sign Language requirements for courts, falls under the remit of the Minster for Children, Disability and Equality.
568. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current number of members of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73681/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána under Section 33 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which includes the distribution and stationing of Garda personnel throughout the State.
I am committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy.
The Garda Vote in Budget 2026 includes unprecedented funding of €2.59 billion which will support the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.
The overall Garda workforce includes 14,290 Garda members, 3,487 staff and 291 reserves.
In the interest of transparency, An Garda Síochána publish information in relation to resources which is publicly available and 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 the Garda Workforce figures for the latest month and access the file titled “Garda members by Division 2006 to the latest date” for a breakdown of the current number of members of An Garda Síochána by Division.[]
569. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average processing time of applications for international protection in the years 2020 to date in 2025, by quarter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73682/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere has been a significant increase in investment into the international protection system which, combined with digitisation and process re-engineering, has facilitated a major increase in processing capacity.
In 2024, the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 14,000 first decisions compared to over 8,500 in 2023, while the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) closed around 3,100 appeals in 2024 compared to over 1,700 in 2023.
In 2025, to the end of November, there has been a 44% increase in the total number of first instance decisions made when compared to the same period in 2024. The IPAT has also increased the number of appeals completed to date in 2025 by 84% over the full year figure for 2024.
The following table shows the overall median processing time in months of applications for international protection in the years 2020 to 12 December 2025, by quarter.
|
Year |
Quarter |
Median |
|
2020 |
Qtr 1 |
16 |
|
2020 |
Qtr 2 |
17 |
|
2020 |
Qtr 3 |
19 |
|
2020 |
Qtr 4 |
20 |
|
2021 |
Qtr 1 |
22 |
|
2021 |
Qtr 2 |
27 |
|
2021 |
Qtr 3 |
23 |
|
2021 |
Qtr 4 |
22 |
|
2022 |
Qtr 1 |
26 |
|
2022 |
Qtr 2 |
22 |
|
2022 |
Qtr 3 |
13 |
|
2022 |
Qtr 4 |
9 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 1 |
10 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 2 |
12 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 3 |
14 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 4 |
16 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 1 |
16 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 2 |
17 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 3 |
15 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 4 |
15 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 1 |
14 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 2 |
14 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 3 |
14 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 4* |
14 |
*up to 12 December 2025
Accelerated processing was introduced in November 2022, and it now applies to those from designated safe countries of origin, applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe and those from a country with a particularly high number of applications.
The following table shows the median processing time in months of applications for international protection under the accelerated procedure in the years 2022 to date in 2025, by quarter.
|
Accelerated Procedure |
|
|
|
Year |
Quarter |
Median |
|
2022 |
Qtr 4 |
1 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 1 |
2 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 2 |
2 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 3 |
2 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 4 |
2 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 1 |
3 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 2 |
2 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 3 |
2 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 4 |
3 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 1 |
4 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 2 |
4 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 3 |
3 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 4* |
2 |
* up to 12 December 2025
All IPO first instance decisions other than Refugee Status grants can be appealed to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT).
The following table shows International Protection Appeals Tribunal median processing times in months for each quarter from 2020 to Q3 2025.
|
Year |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
|
2020 |
6 |
9 |
11 |
12 |
|
2021 |
15 |
16 |
13 |
14 |
|
2022 |
15 |
13 |
10 |
4 |
|
2023 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
|
2024 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
13 |
|
2025 |
15 |
16 |
16 |
- |
Please note figures are correct at time of issue and may be subject to data cleansing.
My Department also continues to focus on preparing for the EU Migration and Asylum Pact in advance of June 2026. The Pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the EU.
On 1 July, my Department introduced the first phase of a gradual transition to a new accelerated, end-to-end process for applicants entering the international protection system in Ireland. This new accelerated process mirrors elements of the future border procedure and screening required by the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum while still adhering to the existing International Protection Act 2015.
The new process is designed to enable testing of new border procedure timelines that will be required as part of the EU Pact requirements in June 2026. The border procedure allows 12 weeks to first and second-instance decisions and a further 12 weeks to return for those who receive negative decisions.
This first transition phase focused on accelerating the processing of applicants from three designated safe countries of origin: Georgia, India and Brazil. It also introduced elements of the future required screening process under the EU Pact.
During the initial three months of the transition, a total of 366 applicants were processed under these shorter timelines. While it is too soon to measure the six months total timeline permitted, the timeline of 12 weeks for first and second instance decision was achieved. This represents a significant shift from the current median processing times in the IPO and IPAT, and hence a significant reduction in costs for accommodation and other supports.
Phase two of the transition is currently underway, having launched on October 8, 2025 with the addition of the remaining 12 designated safe countries of origin. The impacts and learnings from expanding the transition will become clearer over the coming months.
570. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on all discussions he has held with British authorities on the Implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact and its impact on the common travel area, including the date of each engagement, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73683/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland and the United Kingdom share a long history and common interest in the effective operation of the Common Travel Area (CTA). The invisible border on the island of Ireland is among the most tangible gains of the peace process and is essential to the continuing normalisation of relationships. Maintaining the integrity of the CTA and preventing its abuse in the context of immigration is an issue that I and my officials prioritise in our engagements with my United Kingdom (UK) counterparts.
Since my appointment as Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I have had a number of engagements with the then UK Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, where we discussed cooperation in respect of managing the Common Travel Area, and our shared objectives to provide for effective management of migration and border security. Importantly, we had in those engagements been able to reflect on the extensive engagement, cooperation and data-sharing at all levels between my Department’s officials and their Home Office counterparts, as well as the significant operational cooperation between the Gardaí, UK Border Force, UK policing services and the Police Service of Northern Ireland in relation to both immigration and criminal matters.
The Common Travel Area Forum (CTAF) acts as a steering committee for the ongoing work of protecting the CTA in relation to free movement of its citizens between both countries while at the same time ensuring that the CTA is not abused by those not entitled to avail of it. The Forum meets twice yearly but also meets more frequently in sub-group format to address particular elements of Ireland/UK co-operation, bringing together relevant subject matter expertise in various areas, such as Asylum. Regular updates on policy and operational developments in each jurisdiction, including the implementation of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact, are exchanged in these meetings.
This strong practical engagement and cooperation serves the mutual interests of both Ireland and the UK. I am looking forward to engaging with the current Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, in the coming weeks where this important engagement will continue.
The following table details meetings I have had with my UK authorities in the past year at which such matters were considered.
|
Date |
Meeting |
|
03/03/2025 |
Call with Home Secretary |
|
06/03/2025 |
UK-IE Summit |
|
31/03/2025 |
Border Security Summit |
|
24/04/2025 |
British Irish Intergovernmental Conference |
|
17/11/2025 |
British Irish Intergovernmental Conference |
|
10/12/2025 |
Bi-lateral meeting with the UK Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt Hon David Lammy MP, and Attorney General for England and Wales Richard Hermer KC. |
571. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of crimes recorded where the suspected offenders were on bail, by county and category of offence, to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73684/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe presiding judge is entirely independent in the exercise of their judicial functions, and the decision to grant or refuse bail in a particular case is solely a matter for the court. With that said, it is totally unacceptable that offences are committed by people on bail. That is a direct breach of their promise made when bail is granted by the Court.
Our laws, particularly the Bail Act 1997 (as amended), provide for the refusal of bail in particular circumstances in line with the Constitution. In addition, the Bail Act provides that a person charged with a serious offence may be refused bail if the court is satisfied that this is necessary to prevent the commission of a serious offence.
Under the Bail Act, if a person fails to comply with any bail conditions, the judge may issue a bench warrant, mandating An Garda Síochána to arrest and bring the person before the court. In addition, the 2017 Act strengthened Garda powers to deal with breaches of bail, including a power to arrest, without warrant, a person where a member has reasonable cause to suspect that that person has breached, or is about to breach, a bail condition and the member considers the arrest necessary in order to prevent harm to, interference with, or intimidation of, a victim or witness.
While bail laws in Ireland are comprehensive, I am committed to ensuring they are fit for purpose while ensuring fundamental rights principles are adhered to. Last May, I announced that I intended to appoint a Senior Counsel to undertake an assessment of the current operation of bail in Ireland, both legal and practical. The commissioning of the report arose from concerns regarding bail processes and their applicability to recidivist offenders. Mr. Lorcan Staines SC was subsequently appointed to undertake the review. His report ‘An Assessment of the Efficacy of Bail Laws in Ireland’ was published by my Department in November 2025.
His recommendations include investment in improved information sharing systems for both An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service; the implementation of an adult bail supervision scheme to ensure the proper management of recidivist offenders; changes to bail legislation to significantly expand the conditions which may be attached to the granting of bail; and further legislative amendments to improve the legal framework surrounding bail, including consideration for the legal supports for the expected operational implementation of electronic monitoring in 2026. The electronic monitoring project is progressing - a request for tender for a pilot phase was published earlier this month and is expected to be operational in 2026.
I am committed to keeping our bail laws under review and any further useful amendments that are identified will be introduced as appropriate.
In relation to the data requested by the Deputy, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána under Section 33 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. This includes all operational policing and recording of data. However, to be of assistance I have sought the information requested in the Deputy's query and I will write to the Deputy further once it is available.
