You could say the fact that there are people on the extreme left and right with opposing views and we are somewhere in the middle means that we may have got it somewhat right. I assure the Deputy, and I speak on my own behalf but also - I think - on behalf of the vast majority of people in this country, that we are and have always been a welcoming country. I believe our colleagues, friends and member states across the EU are very much in that space as well. However, we need to ensure we have a system that works and…

It is important to be clear that we are not proposing to detain people. While we will have a border procedure and people coming through that procedure will be in specific accommodation, they will not be detained. We will not have fences or people in a prison-type facility. That is not what we are proposing here and I do not think it is what we should ever propose. However, we have structure and a system that works. If we do not have a system that can process people quickly, get through applications quickly and quic…

This year, I have provided a budget allocation of over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána. This is a 25% increase on 2020 and will allow for the sustained recruitment of Garda recruits in 2024. I have taken a number of measures to support increased recruitment into An Garda Síochána. This includes a 66% increase in the training allowance and increasing the age of entry from 35 to 50. The Government has also agreed to increase the mandatory retirement age for Garda members from 60 to 62. I will be bringing forward l…

The issue to date has not been space. The classes have been incrementally moving upwards and the most recent class of 186 is the highest we have had, so it is not the case that we do not have enough space in Templemore. In the last year or two, it has actually been about gathering the momentum so we can get to the point where we are nearly reaching the figure of 200 and beyond. That is not to say we are not looking at other options, and that could potentially include training on another site, different types of hyb…

There are a number of things that we need to do here. I have referenced some of them, for example, increasing the age at which people can apply so we have even more applying; making sure that those who want to stay on can do so, which is why increasing the retirement age is very important; and making sure that those who want to become members but potentially cannot do so because of the financial cost see an increase in the availability allowance. This is something we need to look at again coming up to this year's b…

No, I would not rule out another venue.

I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that our international protection system is robust and rules-based and that our borders are protected. A core part of my role as Minister for Justice is, of course, to uphold the Constitution at all times and I will always do so. I believe the new EU asylum and migration pact is a game-changer for Ireland. It was agreed in December last and approved by the European Parliament last month. The pact was carefully negotiated over several years to significant…

As the Deputy said, the people voted for the Lisbon treaty. What they voted for was the right for Ireland to opt in. The only constitutional requirement following on from that vote is that both Houses would adopt or vote on any decision taken to opt into any measure. We have done that on one occasion in the last few weeks when, with regard to people smuggling or human trafficking, we opted to engage in a closer way with our colleagues in Europol and policing systems across the EU. What we are proposing to opt into …

The Attorney General's advice is never published. In voting for the Lisbon treaty, we did so in the full knowledge that migration is an EU competence and that we can choose to opt into measures. We cannot opt out but we choose to opt in to these measures. There is nothing being forced upon us, so there is no need for a referendum. With the figures we have for the distribution, if we were to apply this in the first year, with figures of either 648 people or €12,000,960, it would actually be cheaper for us to pay tha…

It is my intention to progress the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill to enactment to protect those who are most vulnerable and who, sadly as we have seen, are attacked simply because of who they are, where they came from or because of some other part of their identity that is, quite frankly, nobody else's business. I am determined to enact strong, effective and proportionate legislation to do this. Some people have raised concerns about certain provisions in the Bill and I h…

The Deputy is right. It is not just a case of people feeling unsafe; they are unsafe simply because of who they are. We have had quite sinister attacks. While I do not want to get into particular cases, very serious incidents have taken place. We do not have to look too far to find somebody who has been the victim of some form of hate crime, motivated simply because of the colour of their skin, where they have come from, or the potential partner they have and we need to say very clearly, as a society, that this is …

I had outlined that it was my intention to bring forward amendments after Easter but, obviously, we have had a lot of things going on. While there has been a slight delay, it is still my intention to bring forward amendments in the coming weeks. It is really important that we say what this legislation does, as well as what it does not do. This is about protecting those who are most vulnerable in our society and one could not get any more law-and-order than that, as far as I am concerned.

I am absolutely committed to working with all members of An Garda Síochána at all ranks and levels to address the issues of concern to them. That will continue, irrespective of any meetings this week or otherwise. I have made that very clear to the representative organisations. I am committed to working with the Garda Commissioner as well to make sure gardaí have the resources they need to do their extremely important work of keeping people safe. I will now set out the facts in relation to resignations. While we ha…

It is important to note that policing is a career that people are choosing. Across the recruitment campaigns this year and last year, we had 11,500 people apply to join An Garda Síochána. At a time of full employment, that is a significant number of people who still want to join. Obviously, that does not negate the fact that people are leaving on the other side. As well as making sure that we have more members to alleviate some of the pressures and stress that people are under, I have been engaging with the Garda C…

On a Dublin allowance, I do not think that could be applied to gardaí on their own. Deputy Ó Ríordáin reflected that it would have to apply across the board. It is something that we have looked at, which is not to say there are not challenges with it. How do we decide who gets it? If somebody is working in Dublin but living in the commuter area, do we put a parameter around that? What would the allowance be? If prices increase in other counties, how would that then apply? Should it apply only to gardaí, nurses and …

Community safety is a top priority for me and my Department. Everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in their communities. Community CCTV can play a vital role in achieving this goal. I think we will have all heard not just from community groups but from local representatives and gardaí as well just how important CCTV is. As the Deputy is aware, since 2017 my Department has administered the grant-aid scheme supporting groups wishing to establish a community-based CCTV system in their area. The scheme was ex…

People are free to apply to the scheme now. This part of it is applicable to those who are applying. To outline how people can apply, the details are available on my Department's website at gov.ie . There are technical specifications, application forms and guidance notes. For any community group that has an interest in this, it is a matter of contacting local Garda management, their local divisional officer, or the relevant local authority for assistance. There is a requirement for approval through a joint policing…

It is absolutely the case that certain local authorities in the past, prior to any issues arising around GDPR, were more proactive in applying for the funding and putting up the CCTV. It may be the case now that a similar pattern will emerge but it is important for local communities to know that it is there. It is important for local councillors and representatives in this House to know that it is there and to engage to make sure that local authorities progress this and that they install the CCTV. I would be happy …

I thank the Deputy for raising this. He has raised it previously. I do not want to outline what he knows already exists but for those who potentially do not, the commission was established under the Fresh Start agreement to report on measures aimed at ending paramilitarism. The commission has submitted six reports to the UK and Irish Governments to date, the most recent of which was last December. We have welcomed the reports. I have engaged with the commission while recognising the significant role it plays in hig…

I am sorry that I cannot provide any greater clarity or report progress from when we discussed this before. I assure the Deputy that it is not off the agenda. It is very much being discussed. There has been a lot of back and forth between my Department, the Irish Government and the UK Government. Also there had been previous conversations with the Assembly in Northern Ireland. I have met my counterpart, the Minister of Justice in Northern Ireland, Naomi Long, since she was reappointed to the Department of Justice a…