I thank Senator Garvey for raising this important issue. I am acutely aware of the vulnerable and often frightening position that callers suffering domestic abuse, and indeed anyone in a vulnerable position, are in. Any inappropriate cancellation of 999 calls is a very serious concern and falls significantly below the high standards the public expects of the Garda as well as the standards An Garda Síochána should set for itself. I acknowledge the concerns voiced by victims and those who advocate for them in respons…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I wish to reassure victims of domestic abuse and other callers who have experienced concerns about their personal safety or the safety of others in their care that this issue is being taken extremely seriously, and that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, will maintain regular communications with the Garda Commissioner and the Policing Authority chairman on the matter. In acknowledging and welcoming the Garda Commissioner's apology, it is important also to acknowledge the ef…

I congratulate Senator Ruane and her co-sponsors on introducing this important Bill and managing it through this House to the point where it has reached its Final Stage in the Seanad today. I know that Senator Ruane and her team have put a significant amount of work into the Bill and, on behalf of the Government, I credit them all for doing so. Senator Ruane engaged very constructively with the former Minister for Justice, Deputy Flanagan, on the earlier Stages of the Bill and I know she met the Minister for Justic…

I am pleased to update the House on aviation matters. This is clearly an exceptionally challenging time for the aviation sector, and particularly for those whose livelihoods depend on the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. The global pandemic has had a devastating impact on international travel throughout the world. The Government is conscious of the need to continue to support the domestic aviation industry to restore vital air connectivity as soon as possible, and to assist the aviation sector to rebuild an…

I thank all the Senators who contributed to the debate. I share their concerns about the devastating impact of this global pandemic on the aviation sector and share their deep regret regarding the failure of Stobart Air and the closure of the Aer Lingus base at Shannon Airport. I am acutely aware of all the issues raised and have met with all key stakeholders on several occasions since the start of the pandemic. I am very aware of the problems facing the sector. I reiterate that the Government is committed to reope…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to update the House this evening on what the Government is doing to support our regional airports and aviation in general. As an island nation, Ireland is particularly dependent on air connectivity, both socially and economically, and we all know that international travel and regional connectivity, which is facilitated by our regional airports, is vital for the economic well-being of the regions served. Government policy on regional airports seeks to optimise conditions for re…

I thank the Deputies for contributing to this debate. I fully understand and appreciate the level of concern raised by all Deputies regarding connectivity to our regions, the pressure that those in the aviation sector are under and the impact on all of those who have lost their jobs. I can assure all of those involved in the sector that the Government is fully committed to helping the sector get back on its feet. There will be no cliff edge in the horizontal supports that have been available from the start of the p…

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline the Government's supports for local authorities, with particular reference to County Cork. The All-Ireland Research Observatory, AIRO, report the Deputy refers to was received by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on 9 June and is under consideration by officials. It is a wide-ranging report which covers funding from a variety of different Departments for a range of issues and schemes. Many of the funding lines are outside the remit o…

That report was received by the Department on 9 June and is under consideration. I will be relaying Deputy Moynihan's message to the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. As I stated, the report has also been shared with other Departments. I refer to the unprecedented support for local authorities during the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the earliest priorities of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, was to secure funding to provide a waiver of commercial r…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to update the House on what the Government is doing regarding the sudden announcement by Stobart Air that it was ceasing operations. I refer to the impact of this announcement on connectivity to Kerry and Donegal, Government support for the aviation sector and affected employees, and the current crisis in the aviation industry and its impact on the mid-west. As Deputies will be aware, Stobart Air contacted the Department in the early hours of Saturday morning to advise that it…

In response to Deputy Cairn's concerns regarding employees, I chair a subgroup of the Labour Employer Economic Forum comprising representatives of employers and employees within aviation, which is examining the further needs of the sector. There are also references in the national economic recovery plan to additional supports for the aviation sector, if required. All of this is under consideration. I am aware of the stresses and concerns for employees in the sector but the Government has acted quickly. We have been…

The Deputy will be aware that the Justice Plan 2021 commits to tackling economic, or white collar, crime and corruption by implementing, in collaboration with other agencies, new anti-corruption and anti-fraud measures informed by the Hamilton review. The report of the Hamilton review group, the Review of Structures and Strategies to Prevent, Investigate and Penalise Economic Crime and Corruption, was published in December 2020. It contains a number of recommendations focusing primarily on legislative, structural a…

The draft terms of reference for the advisory council and forum of senior representatives are at an advanced stage of development. Preparatory meetings of the relevant Departments and agencies have already taken place to finalise them for both groups. It is important to say that the actions contained in the implementation plan are not solely the responsibility of the Department of Justice and they will fall to be implemented by a number of other Departments and bodies. For instance, matters relating to the ethics i…

On the resources allocated to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, GNECB, I am advised by the Garda Commissioner that as of 30 April this year there are 89 garda members assigned to the GNECB, with the breakdown being one chief superintendent, two superintendents, two inspectors, 22 sergeants, and 62 garda. This represents an increase of 17 members deployed to the bureau since the end of February this year. Further staff are due to be assigned to the bureau in 2021, following interviews held in 2020. The reass…

I welcome the recent report which has set out a socio-economic and community plan for Darndale and the surrounding areas in Dublin 17. Under the justice plan 2021, my Department is committed to supporting and working with Dublin City Council, DCC, to ensure the implementation of the report on Darndale, Belcamp and Moatview. As the Deputy is aware, DCC commissioned this report in response to the escalating levels of violence in these areas of north Dublin in 2019 and 2020. The report provides a comprehensive overvie…

The Garda youth diversion projects are a fundamental support to the operation of the statutory Garda diversion programmes and provide a vital ingredient in enhancing community policing partnerships. These partnerships are community based, multi-agency crime prevention initiatives. There are 105 Garda youth diversion projects nationally and the intention is to further develop the service so it is available to every child in the State who could benefit from this. On the budget for the Garda youth diversion projects, …

I am advised by local Garda management that it is continually monitoring and preparing all policing plans pertaining to the Coolock area in line with the needs of the community. This includes having regular liaisons with resident groups and taking into account evolving crime trends. The Deputy is correct that this issue needs to be monitored and we have to ensure that the outputs are meeting the needs of the local community. Prior to Covid, local Garda management conducted numerous clinics on a weekly basis, which …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 118, 127 and 137 together. The Government is fully committed to combating domestic violence in all its forms. I am acutely aware of the effects of these awful crimes and there was a significant increase in calls to An Garda Síochána in this regard in 2020. Recommendation 1.3 from Supporting a Victim's Journey is focused on developing better inter-agency co-operation and communication and suggests three sub-actions to deliver on this. The first is to conduct an audit of how responsib…

Regarding the figures for Operation Faoiseamh, which began at the start of the pandemic, An Garda Síochána and the Government have put a major focus on this area. An Garda Síochána received approximately 43,500 calls to respond to domestic abuse incidents in 2020, which was an increase of 17%. More than 4,000 criminal charges were created in 2020 for breaches of orders under the Domestic Violence Act 2018, which is an increase of 24%. The Garda received approximately 10,000 calls to respond to domestic abuse incide…

That is a priority. Deputy Connolly raised this issue yesterday, as she said, in respect of funding for refuge spaces. That falls within the remit of Tusla and it has undertaken a review of the need for refuge spaces and other accommodation. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is committed to ensuring that the needs of service users are met and that the recommendations of the review inform strategic actions under the third national strategy for domestic sexual and gender-based violence. Tusla also continues its ongoing …