I genuinely understand this issue and have met many of the people who are undocumented in this country. I met the MRCI recently and spoke to one such individual who has not seen his family in many years. I understand how difficult this is. I personally know people who are living outside Ireland and are in a similar situation. That is why we have committed in the programme for Government to setting out a scheme for undocumented people within 18 months of the formation of the Government. By the end of this year, whic…

I agree with the Deputy. If somebody needs to travel, he or she needs documentation. In my Department, specifically the section dealing with immigration, visas and those types of requests, there is a paper-based system. It is very much behind compared with other Departments, such as my previous Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs, which has an award-winning online system for passport applications. That is where we want to be. We want to move away from the paper-based system to an online system and we have…

I thank the Deputy for raising the question. My Department provides funding to a range of organisations, allocated subject to a number of conditions appropriate for public funds. This is applicable to most Departments when they give out funding. These conditions include confirmation of charitable status, tax clearance, audited accounts and so on. In 2020, my Department committed almost €1.9 million to support services for victims of crime, including sexual and gender-based violence. These services provide important…

I thank the Deputy. The Department has offered to meet the group and that has not been taken up, but I am happy to meet the group. The legislation that was passed criminalises the buying of sex, the buying of sex from persons who are trafficked and also criminalises those who manage, organise or own brothels. I accept what the Deputy is saying, that this group might have a different view, but from engaging with various representative groups that support these women, many people are trafficked, though I accept it is…

The challenge here is that we have legislation that criminalises the buying of sex and those who run brothels. I have spoken with officials at great length and inquired myself. This particular organisation does not agree with the idea that it should be criminalised and that this is something that potentially exploits women and girls. A significant number of women who find themselves in this position are trafficked. We have to acknowledge that. There would be a contradiction if the Department gave funding to an orga…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important question. The principal aim of the changes made by Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 was to provide additional protection to those involved in prostitution, especially those who are particularly vulnerable and are victims of human trafficking. Among the changes made was one to remove those who offer their services as a prostitute from the existing offences of soliciting. This allows people working in prostitution to provide information to the Garda o…

The review was to start three years after the legislation was passed. It was to start in March, but with the election, the formation of the Government and Covid-19, there was a slight delay. There is also the fact that Maura Butler, who is conducting the review, is also undertaking a review of familicide. Two pieces of work are taking place concurrently. I spoke to Ms Butler this week and, while I do not have an exact timeline, I will meet her again in the next two or three weeks to go into more detail and to see i…

I undertake to get those figures for the Deputy. As I said, of the 20 people who have been charged, 17 are female and three are male. I must admit, I asked the same question as to why out of the 60 incidents, 31 of the 37 were female. Is there a situation where many of these women are doing so under coercion or pressure and do not necessarily wish to be there? Of the 60, only 17 have been charged. The Garda will in every instance try to engage with people, including somebody who is suspected of keeping a brothel, t…

At the outset, I offer my condolences to the family of the late Shane O'Farrell. I understand that he was an exceptional young man and his death nine years ago, at the age of 23, was a terrible tragedy. I note that the Deputy has raised this case a number of times and that she raised it previously with me in the Chamber. As she will be aware, a retired judge, Gerard Haughton, is currently conducting a scoping exercise into the tragic circumstances surrounding Shane's death. The judge furnished an interim report to …

I am informed that it is likely that it will be mid-December, so I do hope we will receive the report then. That is the timeline that I will set and that I will ask the judge to stick to. The most important point is that the family get answers to their questions. The reason we have set out this scoping exercise first is to see whether a public inquiry would bring about those answers for the family. I understand there have been many motions in the Houses, but until we have the answers to the current scoping exercise…

It is difficult for me to pre-empt what may or may not be in this report but I have every confidence that Judge Haughton will carry out his work, will take all of the information and the evidence that is available to him and will come to a decision and include that in the report by the end of the year. I again offer my condolences to the family of Shane O'Farrell and I will work with them, irrespective of what comes out of this report, and we will follow through as soon as possible.

I know this is an issue in which the Deputy has taken a great interest. I am determined that organised crime must not take hold in our communities. The Government and An Garda Síochána are united in our resolve to relentlessly target organised crime at all levels and to send a clear message to criminals that we will take all necessary actions to stop them, to bring them to justice and to prevent them from leading our youth into a life of crime and violence. I am also determined to strengthen the laws relating to ga…

This is an area that we continually review. I cannot confirm at this stage whether it will be included in this particular legislation. It is important, however, that we ensure our legislation is strong enough, as well as providing additional supports such as financial resources and ensuring the Garda has the equipment and the technology it needs. It is also important that this type of legislation is updated and reviewed, which we do continually. On the actual support that we are providing, An Garda Síochána has a r…

I do not have the data to hand. Over the past few months, however, we have seen a downward trajectory in crime levels. We have also had successful investigations targeting serious and organised crime. On 13 October, 8 kg of cannabis, with an estimated street value of €160,000, was seized. On 10 October, as part of an investigation, €22,000 worth of cannabis was seized along with €15,000 in cash, a bullet-proof vest and a BMW car. On 9 October, Revenue and An Garda Síochána, seized 70 kg of herbal cannabis with a st…

I thank the Deputy for raising an important current matter. We have seen how incidents of domestic violence have, unfortunately, been increasing in any event but have increased further since the onset of Covid-19. I am very conscious of that and it is the reason we allocated the additional funding this year. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and I very much share his concerns for those who have been affected by domestic abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic. In March, my predecessor as Minister, Deputy Charle…

Some €2 million has been provided for victims of crime. That includes victims of domestic and sexual violence. On top of that, an additional €327,000 has been assigned to enabling those organisations to promote their services so that people know they are there. That funding is not intended to enable them to carry out the services. As the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth outlined, he has secured an additional €61 million for Tusla, which funds many of the services that provide the s…

Budget 2021 seeks to shield our economy and society through one of the worst crises in living memory. The Government's priorities in guiding the State through the pandemic are protecting the lives of our people and ensuring our economy can weather this storm. The protection of our people is the core of the Department of Justice and Equality's work and the record €3 billion allocation for justice in this budget, an increase of €200 million, will help the Department, its agencies and others in the sector in that task…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As he clearly outlined, this is an issue and an area of concern that falls under a number of Departments and Ministers. The Deputy mentioned particular groups and funding and, unfortunately, while I cannot help in that area, I will outline the area that falls under my remit, which is the work of the Garda, and I certainly would be happy to speak to him afterwards if there is further work that we can do. I am very conscious of the impact of antisocial behaviour caused by t…

I thank the Deputy. Again, I appreciate the urgency with which he is raising this issue. We have seen in the past in Dublin, as he mentioned, that where not just the Garda but the community, the local councils, the education bodies and the community groups come together, a huge amount of work can be done in tackling this very issue. We have a project under way and a scoping exercise in Drogheda, the town next to mine, for that very reason. That is the approach we need to be taking overall. The introduction and impl…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following: “Dáil Éireann: — acknowledges that assisted suicide is a very complex issue which gives rise to medical, ethical and moral issues, as well as criminal justice and constitutional issues; — acknowledges the sincere and humanitarian objectives of the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020 to minimise human suffering and distress at the end of life; — acknowledges the vital public interest in protecting persons who are nearing the end of their…