I thank Senators for the support expressed for the Bill, which while technical is important. I thank them for their contributions and the points raised, some of which were very interesting and relevant as I expected. I am glad the Bill was commenced in the Seanad and that adequate time is provided in that regard. It was suggested by my Department that the Seanad be used in this manner as much as possible. There are a number of pieces of legislation in the Department of Justice that have fallen behind schedule. Ther…

I thank Deputy Flaherty for raising this very important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee. I know that it has been a cause of concern and that some Deputies have contacted the Minister directly over recent days to express that concern. Our objective is to have decisions made on international protection applications and permission to remain considerations as quickly as possible. This ensures that those who are found to be in need of our protection can receive it quickly and begin re…

I again thank Deputy Flaherty for his contribution. I hear his passion for this very important issue. For those found not to be in need of international protection, full consideration of all aspects of their case is carried out before a decision is made to grant permission to remain in the State or to make a deportation order. This includes full consideration of their private and family rights in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights as well as consideration of their work position and other issues…

I thank the Deputy for his question. The fees charged in respect of applications for a certificate of naturalisation are governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Regulations 2011. The fee is charged in two parts. The current application fee is €175, payable when an application for naturalisation is lodged, in addition to which is a certification fee, payable when a certificate of naturalisation issues. The standard certification fee is set at €950, while a reduced fee of €200 applies in t…

I again thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. All fees are kept under ongoing review. Citizenship fees have not increased in the past nine years, notwithstanding the significant investment that has taken place in facilities such as a new website and e-payment facility. More enhancements to the application process are also in development, including plans to introduce online application forms and e-vetting. These measures are aimed at speeding up and streamlining the process. Over the past decade, m…

I again thank the Deputy. As I have said, this is a very important issue. The fees will remain under review on an ongoing basis and as the process is streamlined and updated further. The Deputy's concerns will be considered.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Diverting young people from getting involved in criminal activity is a key priority for the Government. The exploitation of young people and children is a particular concern. As the Deputy will be aware, while an adult may be prosecuted for a crime which has been committed by a child who has been incited to do so by the adult, there is currently no mechanism in law for explicitly recognising the damage done to the child. The programme for Government commits to de…

I thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this issue, which is an extremely important one. The Deputy has been leading the charge in this area for some time, as has the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. She has done a great deal of work on this issue. A twin-track approach is required. One concerns criminalising those people who groom young children. We must also have the correct interventions in place to support those young children, divert them from criminal activity and ensure they have the supports required. A num…

I hear the concerns of the Deputy about this important issue of children being groomed by serious criminals. There is temptation if young people are promised easy money in the absence of alternative supports being in place. We must ensure there is a whole-of-government approach and not simply a theoretical approach. Appropriate interventions must be put in place on the ground to ensure that children are diverted from criminal activity and the required supports are put in place. That is partly what the youth justice…

A record €3 billion was secured for the justice sector in last week’s budget 2021. This will fund key changes across the entire justice sector including dealing with Covid. It will build on the July stimulus package for these purposes. The Minister is also in advanced discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to secure additional funding for the remainder of 2020, including on further Covid-related expenditure. The €3 billion includes €27 million for Covid-related measures, including €13 milli…

These matters are kept under review. I acknowledge a backlog was built up during the initial Covid period. Maintaining access to justice and the courts system has been a key priority in my Department's response to the ongoing Covid pandemic. There has been a substantial level of engagement between my officials and senior officials of the Courts Service. This engagement with the Courts Service has included fortnightly multi-agency telephone conference meetings between senior officials, the continued development and …

The Deputy has raised important issues. Ten or 12 years ago, my home town of Enniscorthy lost its courthouse and this had a serious impact on the town. I encourage the Courts Service to keep town centre courthouses open as this facilitates access. On the access aspect, I participated in the National Disability Authority's conference on access to justice only yesterday and I echoed the support from the Minister, Deputy McEntee, as well as me and the rest of the Department for ensuring access by people with disabilit…

I thank the Deputy for bringing this very important issue of knife crime to the Dáil today. I share the concerns of Deputies across the House relating to knife crime. We are all familiar with the problems that have emerged in neighbouring jurisdictions in this regard and the Government is determined to ensure similar problems do not develop here in Ireland. Although the problem is not of a similar scale here, any stabbing incident can cause irreparable physical harm and have potentially tragic consequences. That is…

So far this year reports of assault have decreased against the same period last year, due in part to the increased restrictions of movements due to Covid-19. There has been a reduction in reported crimes against persons in the first two quarters of this year versus last year and according to the Central Statistics Office, in the first quarter the "assault causing harm" category fell 23.9% and in the second quarter it fell 16.9% when compared with the same periods in the previous year. Of all knife crime, 16% is per…

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter. I know he has genuine concerns, particularly relating to his own area of Cork. The Garda has a proactive approach to these kinds of concerns when hotspots develop so gardaí can intervene very early to address the matter at an early stage. The youth justice strategy that will be published towards the end of this year will also be important in providing full wrap-around interventions where these concerns arise. We will also be establishing an antisocial behav…

My colleague, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, addressed the House earlier about the unprecedented budgetary allocation for the justice sector. I am pleased to have opportunity to mention the significant impact this will have on communities across the country. Communities are at the heart of all that we do across the justice sector and community safety is central to the vision of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Fundamentally, all members and staff of An Garda Síochána work to keep our communities …

On behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy McEntee, I thank Deputy Richmond for raising this important matter. Tackling the threat posed by dissident paramilitary groups which seek to undermine peace on our island continues to be a priority for the Minister for Justice and Equality and for the Government. There are, of course, ongoing reviews of the threat assessment arising from the activities of these groups. The Minister is kept informed of the threat assessment in this regard by th…

The Deputy makes some important and timely points. I assure the House that An Garda Síochána and its partners in Northern Ireland and the UK will continue to work closely together to tackle the scourge of dissident paramilitary actions. The close co-operation between police services on both sides of the Border has been a key element of policing for some time and Commissioner Harris and Chief Constable Simon Byrne are in regular contact in this regard. The Minister for Justice and Equality is working to ensure the e…

The Minister would like me to thank the Senator for raising these important matters. The Government position is reflected in our ongoing commitment in the programme for Government to "recognise the domestic and international importance of data protection in Ireland". Moreover, it is stated: "We will ... ensure that Ireland delivers on its responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)." Under the general data protection regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Data Protection Commissio…

I assure the Senator that the Government takes this issue very seriously. As I informed him, the Government has shown its commitment by providing significant additional funding and staff resources to the Data Protection Commission over recent years. This was in recognition of the additional scope of responsibilities of the office. Its budget has increased from €3.6 million in 2015 to €16.9 million in 2020, which represents an almost five-fold increase. This is a very significant increase which will be put to use. T…