Jim O'Callaghan

I will reply quickly. They can come in.

I thank colleagues for their contributions. I thank Deputy Ward for tabling this amendment. Deputy Ward would be aware that we had a good conversation and discussion about his amendment on Committee Stage. We all share the same objective here. Obviously, CAB does an excellent job in seizing assets that are the proceeds of crime. In recent years, we have managed to develop a situation where we can …

I will.

I thank Deputy Carthy for his question. He is correct in identifying that there clearly is a lot of fluidity between asylum applications in the United Kingdom and Ireland because individuals can travel freely from Britain to Northern Ireland and, because of the common travel area, there is no barrier to individuals travelling south from Northern Ireland into this jurisdiction. Similarly, it operat…

Progress has been made with the British Government. There is very good engagement between my Department and the Home Office. The only way we will be able to resolve the issues of concern to the Deputy and me is through collaboration and co-operation with the British Government. He keeps mentioning that we should not have opted in to the pact, but he must then present to the public the consequence …

In response to the Deputy's specific questions, in 2019, of 35 people transferred, 33 were sent to the United Kingdom. In 2020, of eight people transferred, seven were sent to the UK. This is at the top of my list. In fact, I am criticised for trying to deal with issues in respect of international protection and for giving too much priority to it but it is an absolutely essential issue. In terms o…

They have a bilateral agreement with the French and it is one in, one out. They are realistic politicians.

That agreement is one in, one out.

I want to start by apologising to Deputy Kelly. He asked a question on 23 September and asked the same question on 9 October. In both questions, he asked about the total remuneration package paid to the current Garda Commissioner and the former Garda Commissioner. The answer he got was incomplete. It was very restricted in that it outlined only the salary of the current Garda Commissioners and sta…

Obviously, there were unusual aspects to the appointment of the previous Commissioner because he was from outside An Garda Síochána. He came externally and, obviously, issues arise in respect of that. However, I went back and looked at some of the coverage of the new Commissioner’s appointment. On 13 December 2017, The Irish Times reported, “The Government may pay the accommodation costs and educa…

I am checking something that is of significance to the answer. I take answering questions in this House extremely seriously. Obviously, parliamentary questions come in. I was searching for a figure. Since I have been appointed as Minister, somewhere in the region of 3,500 to 4,000 parliamentary questions have come in and each one of them deserves a full and complete answer. I have instructed offic…

I have been telling them that consistently. Part of the reason the Deputy received a previous answer by way of a letter from me a number of months ago is that I am insistent that information is given, not just to the Deputy but to all TDs, as thoroughly as possible.

With regard to the Deputy’s point that this was hidden, having referred to what was in The Irish Times, I do not think it can be said it was hidden. Anyone applying-----

Anyone applying from outside of Ireland in 2017 would have been aware that one of the options or packages applied would be accommodation fees and education fees, if they arose.

What is happening in Gaza is horrific. My Department continues to work closely with the Department of foreign affairs to ensure a co-ordinated national response to the situation. This includes working with Irish citizens and their families who may require visa assistance. Many visas have been granted to individuals coming from Gaza to Ireland. In common with the position for all non-EU nationals,…

There is a significant difference between Gaza and Ukraine. People cannot leave Gaza but they can leave Ukraine. The European Union decided that the temporary protection directive would be commenced in respect of individuals emanating from Ukraine. We also want to be careful in that we do not want to facilitate an Israeli policy of seeking to compulsorily move people out of Palestinian territory. …

The officials in my Department give a very sympathetic response and an efficient response. The numbers of applications for visas to come here are very significant and it takes a long time to process them. I do not know whether it is the case that priority is given to applicants from certain countries but the best way of dealing with it is to ensure that we improve and increase efficiency, which is…

Following a recent meeting in University Hospital Waterford, UHW, attended by representatives and officials in my Department, I am advised that the pathologists employed at that location have indicated they are not available to carry out post mortems. On foot of this, my Department has been engaging with locum pathologists with a view to agreeing a solution to the situation in UHW from 1 January n…

I agree with the Deputy that it is a very traumatic experience for a family after there has been a death if they are told that there has to be a post mortem and then there can be a considerable wait prior to the funeral. I would not like to see Ireland develop in the same way as other countries where there is a significant delay between death and the funeral. One of the things we do very well in t…

I thank the Deputy. I will give the statistics in respect of University Hospital Waterford. There are nine sanctioned consultant pathology posts of which eight are currently filled with one vacancy to be filled next year. Two posts were filled earlier this year and these appointments have not been made on the basis of the autopsy element being excluded. The remaining six pathologists have provided…

As the Deputy knows, the Legal Aid Board is the statutory body responsible for the provision of civil legal aid and advice to qualifying individuals. There are two parts to it, one is legal advice while the other is legal representation. Eligibility for the scheme is determined by reference to a financial assessment. The Legal Aid Board provides enormous assistance, particularly in the area of fam…

It is important that I got the report, read it and published it and that we tried to consider how we could implement it. I regret to say that it cannot happen overnight. The Deputy might think that can happen in government, that a Minister can say, "I am going to do this" and that it happens. It is important to announce what one's policy objective is, however. It is important for me to say that I …

In terms of international protection, Deputy Carthy is right about that. A significant number of people are seeking legal aid from the Legal Aid Board in respect of international protection. In fact, 11,689 applicants sought legal aid services in relation to international protection last year, which was an increase from nearly 10,000 the year before. That is hugely demanding for the Legal Aid Boar…

I thank the Deputy for his question. One of the great privileges of being Minister for justice is to attend passing out ceremonies in Templemore. I have been to four already this year. They are wonderful occasions for the new Garda recruits and their families. One thing that stands out for me is that the numbers are increasing each time I go to each passing out. At the recent one I was at with the…

I am being told by the Garda it could put 1,000 people a year through Templemore, which is an extremely encouraging number. It can take up to 225, perhaps more, in each intake. When an intake is approaching, a huge amount of effort is put in by Garda HR to try to process applications faster. I am pleased there is a very efficient processing within An Garda Síochána now. Previously I had heard comp…