Group 6 includes amendments Nos. 29 to 35, inclusive. It refers to Schedules 1-----

I already addressed amendments Nos. 25 and 26.

Group 4 is amendments Nos. 22 to 24, inclusive.

I mentioned a few minutes ago that section 8 was being deleted. The amendment deletes section 8. Section 8 provided for an offence of making a false declaration or representation in obtaining registration for a profession or calling. An extensive review of the regulated professions in this State was undertaken by my officials and it became apparent those professions which maintain a statutory register for entry into the profession already provide for a carefully calibrated set of penalties or sanctions for this typ…

Group 7 includes amendments Nos. 29 to 35, inclusive. This is a series of technical amendments to Schedules 1 and 2 to the Bill. Amendment No. 29 updates Schedule 1 to reflect changes made to section 4. That section is now amended and provides that where an offence of perjury is committed under older enactments, which are set out in Schedule 1, the offender shall be liable to be proceeded against under this new Act. Similarly, the Schedule is amended so that references to perjury and subornation of perjury, which a…

The areas covered are those as set out in the Schedule. The Oireachtas governs its own house in terms of how it conducts matters in that respect. Any Acts relating to future bodies that would be brought under it will refer to this Act if they apply.

I thank the Members for supporting the former Senator, Pádraig Ó Céidigh, in bringing this Bill in the first place. It shows the importance of relying on all the abilities across the Houses and not simply on Departments. That is an important point to make. I wish to pay tribute to my Department for taking up this Bill and for the hard work the officials have put into it as well as the work of previous and current Ministers in the Department. Mr. Ó Céidigh introduced this legislation in 2018 as a Private Members' Bi…

I welcome the opportunity to present the Bill to the House. The euro is the second most widely used global currency after the US dollar. Figures released by the European Central Bank this year show there are 25 billion euro banknotes in circulation, with a value of over €1.4 trillion. Responsibility for protecting the euro currency against counterfeiting is shared between the EU authorities and all member states. This is achieved through a comprehensive package of technical, administrative and criminal law measures…

Section 15 provides for regulation-making powers for the CBI. Section 16 provides that where it is necessary for the purpose of the performance of its functions under this Part, the CBI may require a relevant person to provide information, records, plans, etc. Sections 17 and 18 provide for the appointment of authorised officers by the CBI to perform the functions under section 13. Sections 19 to 21, inclusive, deal with the powers of an authorised officer to enter a premises for the purpose of the performance by t…

I thank the Senators for their valuable contributions to the debate. While the Bill, for the most part, is technical in nature, its subject matter is very important and it also tangentially touches on very important issues. Regarding the delay in bringing forward the Bill, when I was appointed as Minister of State last September, a significant number of EU directives needed to be transposed. With great thanks to the departmental officials and with the support of the Seanad, we have been able to clear out a signific…

I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this important matter. As the Deputy is aware, the atypical working scheme was established as a cross-departmental response to address the matter of non-European Economic Area, EEA, workers on certain categories of vessels in the Irish fishing fleet who are not currently eligible for permission under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's employment permit system. The scheme provided, for the first time, a framework for the employment of non-EEA workers within define…

Again, I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this important matter. I do not have figures on how many, if any, scheme participants have applied for naturalisation but will endeavour to get them for the Deputy. It is important that we make those people aware that they can apply for naturalisation and that the period under a stamp 1 permit is reckonable, which they may not know. I will engage with the Minister of State, Deputy English, on this matter to see what, if any, solutions can be found. As I said, without a work…

I have no difficulty with meeting representatives of the industry. Indeed, I am quite happy to do so. As I said, I will engage with the Minister of State, Deputy English, on the matter. I do not have the figures the Deputy is seeking but I will get them for him as soon as possible. I am very much aware of the issues involved here and perhaps, in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine which also has an interest in this area, we can find a way to raise awareness among scheme participants …

I thank Deputy Carroll MacNeill for raising this very important matter. I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 123 and 133 together. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has continued to accept and process citizenship applications throughout the pandemic and at all levels of public health restrictions. Unfortunately, processing rates have been impacted by the necessary health and safety related restrictions imposed and we have been unable to hold in-person citizenship ceremonies since March 2020. In addition t…

I again thank the Deputies for raising an important issue around citizenship. As a Minister of State, I am a great believer in plain English. In everything we are doing I want to see that there is a simple and clear process, especially so that people can engage with the system and get those simple and clear answers when necessary. I will be visiting Burgh Quay in the afternoon and processes are being put in place there to have a simple one-stop application in place where people can apply for information on their pr…

On the issue of costs, when the Department increased the costs around the citizenship process, one thing it found was that the quality of applications significantly increased and in turn the processing was far more effective and quicker. The costs reflect the cost of processing the applications. I know it impinges on people, however. I have dealt with a lot of British citizens in particular in my county of Wexford who have been living in Ireland for a long time and who want to take out Irish citizenship. I acknowle…

I thank the Deputy for raising an important matter encountered by people who seek international protection. I am very conscious of the difficulties and trauma encountered by people who seek international protection and I am glad that, throughout the pandemic, my Department's international protection office has remained open to allow people the opportunity to do so in line with our international obligations. The provision of the facility to allow people claim international protection is considered an essential servi…

I thank the Deputy. I am aware of his genuine interest in this matter. My Department is committed to implementing the key recommendations of the expert advisory group report to reduce processing times of both first instance decisions and appeals to six months, as outlined in the White Paper to end direct provision and establish a new international protection support service. Work is under way in my Department towards identifying mechanisms to support improved processing times, including an end-to-end review of proc…

The Deputy is correct. People who seek refuge in this country have often experienced traumatic events that have led them to seek the protection of another state. The White Paper proposes that the new system should be operational by 2023. My Department will be represented on a programme board to be established and chaired by my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, which will set performance indicators for the new model and monitor progress against those …

I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter concerning Drogheda. The Scoping Report into Community Safety and Well-being in Drogheda was commissioned by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in 2020 following a number of violent incidents in Drogheda. The purpose of the scoping report was to gather and assess information relating to ongoing challenges and community needs in Drogheda, and to identify actions to support communities and connect relevant services. Mr. Vivian Geiran, a former director of the Prob…