Parliamentary questions

776. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the merits of creating a support service to assist jurors who have been on a jury for a distressing trial; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7746/26]

777. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the redress scheme for the Stardust survivors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7747/26]

778. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the ongoing engagement he is having with An Garda Síochána in relation to the antisocial use of e-scooters and scrambler bikes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7751/26]

779. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procedures which are in place within the Irish Prison Service to ensure compliance with GDPR principles of data minimisation and purpose limitation when communicating with staff; whether any data-protection breach assessments have been undertaken in relation to bulk email communications involving private email a…

780. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether contact details collected from Irish Prison Service staff during the Covid-19 pandemic for the specific purpose of contact tracing, and on the express assurance that such details would not be used for any other purpose, were subsequently used for wider HR communications; whether any data-protection breach as…

781. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any personal data breach arising within the Irish Prison Service has been notified to the Data Protection Commission in the past three years in relation to internal staff communications; and if not, the way in which compliance with GDPR breach-notification obligations is assured. [7786/26]

782. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of protected disclosures which were transmitted by him to the OPDC under section 8 during the period 1 November 2025 to-date in 2026. [7787/26]

783. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration regarding disclosures, the number who had not yet completed initial assessment or follow-up at the time of the cybersecurity incident affecting the OPDC in December 2025. [7788/26]

784. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of such disclosures, if any, remain unread, inaccessible, or otherwise unprocessed due to the cybersecurity incident effecting the OPDC in December 2025. [7789/26]

785. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the arrangements currently in place to ensure that protected disclosures made to him under section 8 can be read, assessed and followed up where the OPDC is unable to access its systems; and if he considers that a whistleblower framework in which disclosures may be lawfully made to him but cannot be read by him and …

786. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if an IRP card will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7798/26]

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 …

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]

793. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Garda stations that have been closed since 2020; the criteria used for such closures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7842/26]

794. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total funding allocated to community policing initiatives in 2025; the way this compares to 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7843/26]

795. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps his Department is taking to address the recruitment and retention challenges within An Garda Síochána; the targets set for increasing Garda numbers by the end of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7844/26]

796. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of reported incidents of burglaries, in each county for 2024 and 2025; the strategies implemented to combat these trends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7845/26]

797. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he is considering introducing mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders involved in public order disturbances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7846/26]

798. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current processing times for international protection applications from applicants originating from safe countries; the reforms planned to expedite these processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7847/26]

799. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total number of deportation orders issued in 2025; the breakdown, by nationality; the enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7848/26]

800. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the annual cost to the State of providing legal aid to international protection applicants for the period 2020-2025; the oversight measures to prevent abuse of this system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7849/26]