Parliamentary questions

563. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No’s 328, 330 and 331 of 24 June 2026,, wherein the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science indicated that responsibility for the matter lay with him, whether his Department recognises the significant role played by the international stud…

564. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No’s 328, 330 and 331 of 24 June 2026, wherein the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science indicated that responsibility for the matter lay with him, whether consideration has been given to issuing specific guidance or policy clarificatio…

565. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is aware of a visa situation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51231/26]

566. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has collected or analysed data on the reasons for adjournments in District Court criminal legal aid cases, including adjournments arising from disclosure, DPP directions, forensic reports, probation reports, psychiatric assessments, interpreter availability, court-list pressures or othe…

567. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in relation to the new District Court criminal legal aid fee model, which replaces the previous payment of approximately €240 for a first appearance and €60 for each subsequent appearance with a flat fee of €520 per defendant, the assessment that has been carried out of the impact of this change on complex or…

568. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the way in which the new District Court criminal legal aid fee model is expected to address the rise in District Court criminal legal aid expenditure from approximately €19 million in 2015 to €37 million in 2024; the projected savings that are expected from the new model; whether these projections have been s…

569. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has analysed the extent to which repeated appearances in District Court criminal legal aid cases arises from defence-side conduct as opposed to prosecution-side or system factors, including disclosure, DPP directions, forensic reports, probation reports, psychiatric assessments, interpr…

570. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the rationale underpinning the proposed introduction of a flat-fee model for payments under the criminal legal aid scheme in the District Court; the evidence base used to support the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51249/26]

571. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will provide a detailed assessment of how the proposed flat-fee model for criminal legal aid will ensure that access to justice is not undermined for defendants with complex or vulnerable circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51250/26]

572. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the projected impact of the proposed flat-fee model on the availability of experienced criminal law practitioners willing to undertake legal aid work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51251/26]

573. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated savings expected to arise from the proposed changes to the criminal legal aid scheme; the methodology used to calculate these savings; whether any assessment has been carried out on potential cost increases elsewhere in the criminal justice system as a result of the proposal; and if he will make a stat…

574. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 226 of 24 June 2026 and 682 of 16 June 2026, whether other individuals are currently under consideration for a travel ban of the kind recently imposed on two Israeli ministers; the number of persons currently under consideration for such a ban; and to give a breakdown by nationa…

575. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No’s 320 of 14 November 2023 and 364 of 2 February 2023, whether the policy referred to has been finalised and published; and, if not, when it is expected to be completed and published. [51357/26]

576. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Garda vetting applications received regarding social housing applications in 2026; the number of applications yet to be processed; and the average time it takes to return a vetting result. [51384/26]

577. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether, in line with the recommendation of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to Ireland in July 2025, in which it recommended the establishment of open prisons for women (details supplied), the Government has plans to establish an open prison for women, similar to Shelton Abbe…

578. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of visa applications currently awaiting decision, broken down by visa category; the average time such applications have been awaiting determination; and the steps being taken to reduce any backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51415/26]

579. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the extent to which average visa processing times have changed between 2024, 2025 and 2026 for each visa category; the reasons for any increases or decreases; and the measures being taken to address processing delays where they exist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51416/26]

580. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average processing time for visa applications in each visa category in 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will provide the shortest, longest and median processing times recorded for each category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51417/26]

581. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated first and full-year costs of hiring an additional 500, 1,000 and 1,500 Gardaí, in tabular form. [51436/26]

582. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated first and full-year cost of doubling the funding for youth justice interventions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51439/26]

583. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of staff in the International Protection Office and International Protection Appeals Tribunal; if his Department plans to increase the number of staff in each following the introduction of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51441/26]

584. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the estimated first and full-year cost of increasing the number of staff in the International Protection Office and International Protection Appeals Tribunal by 10%, in tabular form. [51442/26]

585. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the financial supports available to victims of crime and witnesses to cover the costs of travel to court and for accommodation where they are required to be available to attend court for a period of days; the annual budgetary allocation for these supports; if these supports are available in a consistent manner acros…

586. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total funding set aside by his Department to allow for the introduction of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51444/26]

587. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the targeted recruitment for the International Protection Office and appeals tribunal, following the introduction of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51445/26]