Questions

787. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total amount of public funds paid by his Department and by the Irish Prison Service to the podcast (details supplied) since 2020; the annual breakdown of those payments; the budgetary subhead under which the expenditure was approved; and the Minister’s rationale for approving this expenditure. [7822/26]

788. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procurement process used by the Irish Prison Service in awarding contracts or payments relating to a podcast (details supplied); whether competitive tendering was undertaken; if not, the justification for dispensing with competition; and the measures in place to ensure value for money and compliance with public spending rules. [782…

789. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the governance and oversight arrangements applied by his Department and the Irish Prison Service to publicly funded media or communications projects; whether performance targets or deliverables were set in respect of a podcast (details supplied); and how compliance with those requirements was assessed. [7824/26]

790. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the policy basis under which funding was provided to a podcast (details supplied); the specific rehabilitative, educational, or engagement objectives the project was intended to achieve; and how those objectives align with current Irish Prison Service strategy. [7825/26]

791. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any formal evaluation, impact assessment, or cost-benefit analysis was conducted in relation to a podcast (details supplied); if so, the findings; and if not, the reasons such evaluation was not undertaken prior to or following the expenditure of public funds. [7826/26]

792. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration what controls, guidance, or criteria are now in place governing the funding of podcasts, media projects, or external communications initiatives by the Irish Prison Service; and whether changes have been introduced following the conclusion of a project (details supplied). [7827/26]

348. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total expenditure incurred by the State on accommodation and related supports for international protection applicants in each of the years from 2022 to 2025 to date; the projected total expenditure for 2026; and to provide a breakdown of this expenditure under the following headings: payments to private accommodation providers, exp…

349. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of international protection applicants accommodated by the State at the end of each quarter from Quarter 1 2023 to Quarter 4 2025; the number currently awaiting an accommodation offer; the average duration of stay in State-provided accommodation during this period; and the measures in place to reduce both length of sta…

350. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has carried out any value-for-money assessments, cost-benefit analyses, or benchmarking exercises in respect of contracts entered into with private accommodation providers for international protection applicants since 2022; to detail the findings of any such assessments; and to outline the steps taken to renegoti…

351. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the policy rationale, projected fiscal impact, and anticipated savings associated with proposals to require international protection applicants who are in employment to make a contribution towards the cost of their accommodation; the estimated annual savings arising from this measure; the safeguards envisaged to ensure propo…

352. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has assessed the impact of the use of private accommodation for international protection applicants on housing supply, rental prices, and availability in the wider housing market; to detail any such assessments undertaken since 2022; and to outline what measures are being pursued to reduce reliance on short-term …

476. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of injuries sustained by members of An Garda Síochána in the course of their duties in each of the years 2021 to 2025, inclusive; to specify, for each year, the number of those injuries which arose from assaults on Gardaí; and the policy measures currently in place within his Department to reduce assaults on members of…

477. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of convictions secured for assaulting a member of An Garda Síochána under section 19 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 and related offences in each of the years 2021 to 2025, inclusive; and the range of sentences imposed in those cases. [5317/26]

1648. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether, prior to the Government’s decision for Ireland to opt into the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, his Department carried out or commissioned any Ireland-specific impact assessment, modelling, or analysis examining the likely effects of participation in the Pact’s solidarity mechanism on the number of international protection appli…

1652. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to the replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos 761, 762 and 763 of 16 December 2025, in which it was stated that an immigration permission may be revoked where a person fails to obey the laws of the State or becomes involved in criminal activity, the total number of immigration permissions revoked by his Department in the past …

1692. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason, notwithstanding legislation enacted in 2007 providing for the electronic monitoring and tagging of offenders, a fully operational national electronic tagging system has not yet been implemented; the steps taken by his Department to date to give effect to this legislation; and the timeline now envisaged for full implementat…

1693. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current status of the procurement process for electronic monitoring services, including the stage reached, the expected date for completion, and any factors that have contributed to delays; and the resources allocated within his Department to ensure the system becomes operational. [75163/25]

1694. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether a cost-benefit or value for money assessment has been carried out by or on behalf of his Department in relation to the introduction of electronic tagging of offenders; if so, to provide details of the findings; and if not, to explain the reason such an assessment has not been undertaken. [75164/25]

1695. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the enforcement, monitoring, and oversight arrangements which are planned in respect of breaches of electronic tagging conditions; the way in which inter-agency responsibility between his Department, the Irish Prison Service, and An Garda Síochána will be structured; and the measures in place to ensure public safety and accountability…

1702. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has been formally notified, directly or via international partners, of allegations contained in recently released United States federal documents associated with investigations (details supplied) which reference Ireland as a destination in an alleged human trafficking context; and if he will outline any engageme…

1703. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the State’s current policy and legal framework for cooperation with United States law enforcement agencies in cases of alleged international human trafficking where Ireland is referenced; and if he will detail the statutory instruments, memoranda of understanding, or bilateral mechanisms in place to facilitate such cooperat…

1704. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration what oversight structures exist within his Department to assess allegations of international human trafficking that emerge through foreign judicial or law-enforcement disclosures; and how such information is evaluated at policy level to determine whether further inter-agency or inter-governmental action is required. [1004/26]

1705. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the supports, protections, and referral pathways available under current State policy for victims of international human trafficking where allegations involve Ireland; and whether any review of these frameworks is underway in light of emerging patterns of transnational trafficking identified by international partners. [1005/26]

1706. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he is satisfied that existing national anti-trafficking strategies and inter-departmental coordination mechanisms are sufficient to respond to allegations of high-level or transnational trafficking networks; and if he will indicate whether any updates or policy reviews are planned. [1006/26]

669. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if the proposed new wing, for the planned extension at Midlands Prison in Portlaoise recently approved by Cabinet as part of a fast-tracked expansion, is to be constructed on the site currently occupied by the prison's award-winning horticulture facility; if so, the rationale for dismantling a nationally-recognised rehabilitation and e…