I reiterate that what Ireland is doing about the Afghan situation is unique. Between our Department - the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and me - and the Ministers, Deputies O'Gorman and Coveney, significant steps have been taken to help the Afghan people inasmuch as we can as one nation. We are encouraging other nations across the European Union and the European Union itself to do similar. I do not have to hand the specific numbers for the applications that have been processed but I can get them to the Deputy later t…

That is absolutely correct. We need to ensure that for anybody coming here the supports are put in place. That is why we have worked with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, in that respect. As in many cases, the supports that need to be put in place need to be worked on with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to ensure they are put in place. They would include, for example, school and mental health supports and other health protections. We are ensuring that those are in place for anybody who comes here. Of course, we have …

The budget provided by the Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of €1.952 billion for 2021. Budget 2022 provides more than €2 billion in funding. This reflects the Government’s commitment to making sure people are safe in their communities. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the deployment of Garda members throughout the State. As Minister of …

I thank the Deputy. I also thank rank and file and senior Garda officers who stepped up to the mark during Covid and showed their commitment to the local communities in which they were based and living throughout that very difficult period. I also thank the trainees who stepped up to the mark during the period when a slightly different approach was taken from the approach taken in the past. While the 12-hour shift roster has been very positive in An Garda Síochána, operational matters are for the Garda Commissioner…

I thank Deputy Flaherty for raising the issue of the number of gardaí in County Longford. I am aware that policing and protecting rural communities in the county is a hugely important matter for the Deputy, who has raised this matter with me on numerous occasions. The deployment of gardaí is a matter for the Garda Commissioner but I have no doubt that he will deploy additional gardaí to those areas, as necessary. As a member of the rural forum, I can inform the Deputy that we are working on a new rural crime strate…

I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this important matter of Garda numbers in County Donegal. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, for the deployment of An Garda Síochána throughout the State and for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. As Minister of State, I play no direct role in these independent functions. I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps this dis…

Deputy Pringle keeps a strong watch on the number of gardaí because it is so important to have the necessary gardaí in place. As I said, the deployment of gardaí is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. I would hope that the additional gardaí going into training this year and next year will be distributed as necessary throughout the country, as they become available to the Commissioner. I know Donegal well. It is a little similar to County Wexford where I am from. It is a long county with lots of towns spread throug…

Again, I thank the Deputy for raising the matter of Garda numbers in Donegal. We will always endeavour in the Department of Justice to ensure the Garda Commissioner is deploying gardaí fairly throughout the country as they are needed.

Budget 2022 will see over €2.062 billion allocated to An Garda Síochána next year. This funding will include provision for the recruitment of 800 new Garda recruits and 400 Garda staff. This increase in the number of Garda members and staff will deliver significant growth in operational policing hours nationwide and improved services to the public generally. In Dublin, through sustained Government investment in An Garda Síochána, the number of gardaí across all divisions in the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, has …

Since 2018, there has been an 11% increase in the number of community gardaí. The number of community garda members I have obtained from An Garda Síochána is 326. Four hundred and fifty additional gardaí will be recruited this year, and the budget has allowed for an allocation of funding for another 800 new Garda recruits for next year and 400 Garda staff. The additional Garda staff will also facilitate gardaí moving from administrative duties back onto the beat. The designation of community gardaí is a matter for …

I thank the Deputy for raising the important matter of Garda numbers in his area. As stated already, I do not have any powers regarding the distribution of gardaí or their designation. The 450 additional gardaí being recruited this year, the 800 to be recruited next year, and the 400 additional Garda staff that will be recruited will bring the total number to 14,600 fully attested members in 2022, with 600 in training, putting us on course to meet our target of 15,000 sworn members. Budget 2022 will bring the total…

I thank the Deputy for raising the important matter of the number of citizenship applications outstanding for longer than 12 months. I am deeply conscious of how important the granting of naturalisation is to those who apply for it. My Department has continued to accept and process citizenship applications throughout the pandemic and during all levels of public health restrictions. However, the combined impact of the 2019 High Court judgment in the Jones case and the necessary health restrictions arising from the p…

The Department is bringing in a number of reforms to try to speed up the process and make the application process simpler. Certainly, since I came into the Department I have pushed for all of the applications to be as simple and straightforward as possible and to minimise the need for any kind of legal advice. Many applicants are involved in the system at different stages. I favour the introduction of a system that is a one-stop shop that is quickly accessible to people, wherever they are in the system. I understan…

Our aim is to get the timeframe for processing applications down to six to nine months. Provision has been made in the budget for additional staff in the immigration services to get those numbers down. We are working through ICT and other processes to make the system move more quickly and to streamline the entire system. I understand that the length of time it is taking to process applications is deeply frustrating but at least if people knew the status of their application, it would provide them with a certain amo…

I thank the Senators for their proposals. These are matters we discussed at length on Committee Stage. I wish to make two points. The first is that a post-enactment report on the Bill will be prepared in accordance with Standing Orders and laid before the House. This will provide an opportunity to address many of the issues raised. The second point is that I have requested that a briefing be prepared for Oireachtas Members in respect of several of these issues. I would suggest that looking at issues such as the sat…

I would expect that any post-enactment report would be comprehensive and detailed.

I thank the Senators for their comments. Section 5(2), while a short provision, is very important for the broader context of the Bill. It provides that a person does not for the purposes of the offences in sections 6 and 7 unlawfully assist presence in the State when providing goods or services in the ordinary course of his or her business, trade or profession. It is important to emphasise that it is intended to provide a clarification on the scope of the offences rather than to provide an exception of itself. It d…

I thank the Senators for their comments. As I have made clear throughout the debate on the Bill, we do not intend to criminalise people who are being smuggled, and I think that extends properly to parents travelling with their children, for example. I believe that, as it stands, that would fall under humanitarian assistance. I appreciate that Senator Higgins and I differ on that being framed as a defence, and we will discuss that further when we come to the next group of amendments. I recognise, however, that furth…

I thank the Senators for their proposals. Amendments Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, and 11 are similar in that they would effectively reframe the humanitarian assistance defence as being elements of the offence and accordingly it would be for the prosecution to prove the contrary. Amendment No. 10 provides for a bar to prosecution under similar circumstances. The question of where the burden of proof should lie was discussed at length on Committee Stage and it is useful to recap now. A significant motivation for this Bill…

I thank the Senators for their comments. As I made clear when discussing the previous group of amendments in respect of family members, we do not intend to criminalise people who are being smuggled. However, given how the offences are already phrased, I do not believe a blanket provision is necessary as it would tend to create more uncertainty. The issue is that the bar for someone being considered to have been the object of people smuggling may be quite low and may be different from what the Senator intends. For e…