Darren O'Rourke
Ceist:1278. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost in 2022 if 200 prison officers were recruited for the Prison Services. [1901/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWritten Answers Nos. 1278-1295
1278. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the estimated cost in 2022 if 200 prison officers were recruited for the Prison Services. [1901/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the estimated full year cost of employing 200 new Recruit Prison Officers in 2022 would be, as per the most recent PPC pay scales of 1st October 2021, €6,205,400.
The recruitment of Recruit Prison Officers by the Irish Prison Service has been ongoing since 2017 and has regard to such factors as service needs and exit levels from the organisation.
I can advise the Deputy that 133 Recruit Prison Officers were recruited in 2021 and it is envisaged that a further 139 will be recruited in 2022.
1279. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons arrested for burglary within the Meath Garda division on 24 and 25 December 2021; and if she will provide same figures for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [1902/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can assure the Deputy that I am very much aware of the impact of crime on rural communities and I am committed to ensuring that there is strong, visible community policing right across rural Ireland.
As the Deputy is aware, a key pillar of the Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, is building stronger and safer communities. I can assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to ensuring that there is strong, visible community policing right across Ireland, both rural and urban.
While An Garda Síochána has provided very dedicated service to assisting in the national effort to combat the threat of COVID-19, ordinary policing has of course also continued throughout the period. This includes the winter phase of Operation Thor, which was launched on 1 October 2021 and will run until 31 March 2022. Operation Thor is designed to tackle the increase in the number of burglaries and associated criminal activity that usually occur in winter months by undertaking targeted enforcement and preventative activity, highlighted through public information campaigns including 'Lock up, Light up' etc. These initiatives have been successful in dramatically reducing the rate of winter burglaries, leading to a significant decline in property-related crime since its introduction in 2015.
In relation to the number of persons arrested for burglary within the Meath Garda division on 24 and 25 December in each of the years 2019, 2020 and 2021, I am informed by the Garda authorities that a breakdown cannot be provided as An Garda Síochána do not report on incident types numbering under 10 in a given timeframe/geographic locale, due to data protection concerns.
1280. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the number of new marked vehicles allocated to the Garda Technical Bureau in 2020 and 2021, in tabular form; and the number of vehicles withdrawn from the Garda Technical Bureau during same period. [1903/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the purchase of vehicles and their allocation to Garda units. As Minister, I have no direct role in the matter.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that the purchase and allocation of vehicles is made on the basis of identified operational demands and the availability of resources. I am further advised that the allocation of Garda vehicles is monitored and reviewed on a continual basis to ensure the best match with operational requirements.
I have been informed by the Garda authorities no marked vehicles were allocated to or withdrawn from the Garda Technical Bureau in 2020 or 2021.
1281. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí trained in public order in each Garda division as of 31 December 2021, in tabular form. [1905/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have requested a report on the information sought by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána and unfortunately the report was not to hand in time.
I will write to the Deputy on receipt of the requested information.
Division |
Numbers trained |
Garda Bureau of Community Engagement |
1 |
D.M.R. East |
60 |
D.M.R. North |
66 |
D.M.R. North Central |
80 |
D.M.R. Office |
1 |
D.M.R. South |
76 |
D.M.R. South Central |
81 |
D.M.R. West |
71 |
DMR Roads Policing |
5 |
Kildare |
51 |
Kilkenny/Carlow |
53 |
Laois/Offaly |
10 |
Meath |
49 |
Waterford |
36 |
Westmeath |
45 |
Wexford |
38 |
Wicklow |
56 |
S.T.O.C. |
8 |
Security & Intelligence |
1 |
Internal Affairs |
1 |
Garda College & Research |
7 |
HRM Operations |
3 |
Cavan / Monaghan |
73 |
Donegal |
79 |
Galway |
62 |
Louth |
69 |
Mayo |
29 |
Roscommon / Longford |
32 |
Sligo / Leitrim |
43 |
Cyber Crime Bureau |
1 |
Economic Crime Bureau |
5 |
Operational Support Unit |
1 |
Protective Services Bureau |
4 |
Garda Roads Policing Bureau |
1 |
Clare |
6 |
Cork City |
56 |
Cork North |
21 |
Cork West |
20 |
Kerry |
19 |
Limerick |
33 |
Tipperary |
35 |
STRAT. Transform Office |
2 |
Total |
1390 |
1282. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice if a recent contract for the provision of medium-sized Garda vans was put out to tender; and if so, when these new vans will come into the fleet. [1906/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the purchase of vehicles and their allocation to Garda units. As Minister, I have no direct role in the matter.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that the purchase and allocation of vehicles is made on the basis of identified operational demands and the availability of resources. I am further advised that the allocation of Garda vehicles is monitored and reviewed on a continual basis to ensure the best match with operational requirements.
I am further informed by the Garda authorities that the supply of medium-sized vans to An Garda Síochána was tendered and a contract is currently in place. Six new medium size vans are due to be added to An Garda Síochána Fleet in 2022.
1283. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons successful prosecuted under section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 in 2019, 2020 and 2021, in tabular form. [1911/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions. This includes the compilation of information relating to convictions.
However, in order to assist the Deputy, I have sought information from the Courts Service.
The following figures in relation to the number of offences and number of persons convicted under the relevant section of the Act in the District Court have been provided. I am advised that it is important to note that a person may be convicted on more than one offence.
Table 1. Number of offences and number of persons convicted in the District Court
|
Jan - Dec 2019 |
|
Jan - Dec 2020 |
|
Jan - Dec 2021 |
|
Section |
No of Offences where convictions were recorded |
No of persons convicted |
No of Offences where convictions were recorded |
No of persons convicted |
No of Offences where convictions were recorded |
No of persons convicted |
section 7(1)(a)(i), 7(1)(b) & 7(3) of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 |
|
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
section 7(1)(a)(ii), 7(1)(b) & 7(3) of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
18 |
15 |
Total |
7 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
19 |
16 |
In terms of the offences sent forward for trial to the Circuit Court, I am informed that at this time, the system in use by the Courts Service in the Circuit Courts cannot produce reports for specific offences and the reports which are available are by offence category rather than for individual offences. Categories of offences can contain multiple offences. Table 2 provides the Circuit Court information that is available.
Table 2: No of offences and no of persons sent forward for trial to the Circuit Court
|
Jan – Dec 2019 |
|
Jan – Dec 2020 |
|
Jan – Dec 2021 |
|
Section |
No of Offences sent forward for Trial |
No of Persons sent forward for Trial |
No of Offences sent forward for Trial |
No of Persons sent forward for Trial |
No of Offences sent forward for Trial |
No of Persons sent forward for Trial |
Section 7(1)(a)(i), 7(1)(b) & 7(3) of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 |
12 |
9 |
37 |
16 |
35 |
27 |
Section 7(1)(a)(ii), 7(1)(b) & 7(3) of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 |
199 |
70 |
304 |
107 |
629 |
288 |
Section 7(1)(a)(iii), 7(b) & 7(3) of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 |
2 |
1 |
38 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Total |
213 |
80 |
379 |
125 |
666 |
317 |
The Deputy should also note that the Courts can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors. In relation to prosecutions under Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, prosecutors may have used uncoded free text offences and any such offences, which do not appear in searches for prosecutions by the Courts Service.
Finally, I wish to assure the Deputy that Ireland has a robust Anti-Money Laundering/ Countering the Financing of Terrorism framework. Ireland’s anti-money laundering framework was assessed by the global standard-setter, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Ireland was found to have “a generally sound legislative and institutional AML/CFT framework”.
The Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Act 2021 strengthens existing anti-money laundering legislation and gives effect to provisions of the Fifth EU Money Laundering Directive.
In line with international standards adopted by the FATF, and the EU's legislative framework, Ireland has developed a solid regulatory framework for preventing money laundering. This Act strengthens existing anti-money laundering legislation and contains a renewed focus on gatekeepers of financial systems. It ensures that there is increasing transparency by bringing further institutions within the scope of the Irish anti-money laundering regulatory framework and by combatting the use of new trends and technologies employed by criminals. It also ensures that our regulatory framework keeps pace with the increasing integration of financial flows in the internal market, the evolving trends, technological developments and the prevention of organised crime.
1287. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of fixed charge notices issued to drivers for speeding by each Garda division in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2008/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs The Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the recording of traffic offences, collisions and seizures of vehicles. As Minister for Justice, I have no direct role in these matters.
The Garda authorities have provided me with the below table, which provides a yearly breakdown per Garda division of the number of instances in which a party was issued with a Fixed Charge Notice for speeding.
Garda Division |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Cavan/Monaghan |
4165 |
4486 |
5732 |
4916 |
Clare |
5680 |
4536 |
4924 |
4960 |
Cork City |
3203 |
4092 |
7164 |
12197 |
Cork North |
5078 |
4940 |
6607 |
6285 |
Cork West |
5464 |
4849 |
3444 |
3997 |
D.M.R. Eastern |
3439 |
4400 |
5529 |
4009 |
D.M.R. North Central |
3064 |
3325 |
4010 |
3636 |
D.M.R. Northern |
8179 |
8668 |
11682 |
9579 |
D.M.R. South Central |
3723 |
3014 |
2736 |
2623 |
D.M.R. Southern |
1623 |
1535 |
3438 |
3671 |
D.M.R. Western |
2742 |
3302 |
12895 |
8604 |
Donegal |
2887 |
3344 |
3743 |
3682 |
Galway |
9039 |
9476 |
13815 |
10520 |
Kerry |
3552 |
4108 |
3846 |
4023 |
Kildare |
14863 |
12830 |
12700 |
15543 |
Kilkenny/Carlow |
5266 |
5060 |
5079 |
6082 |
Laois/Offaly |
4665 |
5335 |
6723 |
8657 |
Limerick |
10793 |
10908 |
8543 |
9208 |
Louth |
2383 |
2318 |
4798 |
4836 |
Mayo |
3010 |
5393 |
3911 |
3250 |
Meath |
5728 |
3309 |
8350 |
7035 |
Roscommon/Longford |
2760 |
3095 |
4430 |
3212 |
Sligo/Leitrim |
3175 |
3123 |
1910 |
3102 |
Tipperary |
3779 |
3536 |
6665 |
8154 |
Waterford |
5197 |
5023 |
5521 |
5919 |
Westmeath |
2452 |
3469 |
4847 |
5369 |
Wexford |
4635 |
4492 |
5124 |
5121 |
Wicklow |
5569 |
5174 |
13097 |
10430 |
Totals |
136113 |
137140 |
181263 |
178620 |
I have been advised that the above figures are based on incidents which occurred from 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2021, inclusive. All information contained in this report is based upon operational data from the Fixed Charge Processing System as was available on 04/01/2022 and is liable to change.
1288. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers that paid a fixed charge penalty notice for speeding in each Garda division within the statutory payment timeframe in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2009/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the recording of traffic offences, collisions and seizures of vehicles. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.
The Garda authorities have provided me with the below table, which provides a yearly breakdown per Garda division of the number of instances in which a party paid a Fixed Charge Notice issued for the offences of speeding.
Division |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Cavan/Monaghan |
3502 |
3768 |
4825 |
3572 |
Clare |
4798 |
3734 |
4320 |
4024 |
Cork City |
2804 |
3553 |
6221 |
9678 |
Cork North |
4437 |
4301 |
5860 |
5099 |
Cork West |
4834 |
4227 |
3069 |
3236 |
D.M.R. Eastern |
3126 |
3922 |
4887 |
3302 |
D.M.R. North Central |
2380 |
2399 |
2833 |
2338 |
D.M.R. Northern |
6893 |
7010 |
9488 |
7073 |
D.M.R. South Central |
3187 |
2590 |
2182 |
1928 |
D.M.R. Southern |
1383 |
1290 |
2855 |
2762 |
D.M.R. Western |
2307 |
2779 |
10338 |
6458 |
Donegal |
2335 |
2732 |
3228 |
2854 |
Galway |
7806 |
8038 |
12166 |
8204 |
Kerry |
2962 |
3438 |
3309 |
3365 |
Kildare |
12500 |
10606 |
10894 |
12095 |
Kilkenny/Carlow |
4456 |
4301 |
4457 |
4987 |
Laois/Offaly |
4013 |
4530 |
5691 |
6858 |
Limerick |
8911 |
9195 |
7263 |
6916 |
Louth |
1948 |
1907 |
3922 |
3509 |
Mayo |
2494 |
4757 |
3431 |
2579 |
Meath |
4920 |
2803 |
6978 |
5370 |
Roscommon/Longford |
2365 |
2642 |
3830 |
2624 |
Sligo/Leitrim |
2706 |
2693 |
1700 |
2538 |
Tipperary |
3174 |
2893 |
5673 |
6415 |
Waterford |
4495 |
4320 |
4765 |
4810 |
Westmeath |
2120 |
2983 |
4196 |
4222 |
Wexford |
3880 |
3878 |
4341 |
4032 |
Wicklow |
4732 |
4456 |
11155 |
8334 |
Totals |
115468 |
115745 |
153877 |
139182 |
I have been advised that the above figures are based on incidents which occurred from 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2021, inclusive. All information contained in this report is based upon operational data from the Fixed Charge Procession System as was available on 04/01/2022 and is liable to change.
1289. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers that availed of the third payment option and paid a fixed charge notice for speeding in each Garda division in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2010/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005,the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the management of the Fixed Charge Processing System. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.
The Garda authorities have provided me with the below figures, which provide a yearly breakdown per Garda Division of the number of instances in which a Fixed Charge Notice was issued for the offences of speeding and was paid using the third payment option.
it is important to note that court proceedings are initiated where a fine is not paid within the required timeframe. A third payment option is available where the fine can be paid up to a number of days before the court date. This fine will be double the original fine.
In this instance, all cases where a fine of €160 was paid (double the original fine amount of €80) have been included.
Garda Divisions |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Cavan/Monaghan |
155 |
161 |
194 |
45 |
Clare |
222 |
217 |
256 |
114 |
Cork City |
133 |
147 |
138 |
43 |
Cork North |
212 |
196 |
243 |
91 |
Cork West |
232 |
175 |
133 |
59 |
D.M.R. Eastern |
132 |
138 |
198 |
10 |
D.M.R. North Central |
147 |
142 |
123 |
* |
D.M.R. Northern |
358 |
315 |
319 |
* |
D.M.R. South Central |
169 |
123 |
67 |
* |
D.M.R. Southern |
67 |
60 |
77 |
* |
D.M.R. Western |
93 |
144 |
333 |
* |
Donegal |
130 |
177 |
200 |
43 |
Galway |
374 |
422 |
651 |
188 |
Kerry |
151 |
145 |
157 |
86 |
Kildare |
541 |
500 |
515 |
221 |
Kilkenny/Carlow |
234 |
166 |
199 |
110 |
Laois/Offaly |
201 |
223 |
254 |
72 |
Limerick |
436 |
430 |
411 |
115 |
Louth |
116 |
145 |
195 |
* |
Mayo |
116 |
201 |
112 |
* |
Meath Div |
215 |
124 |
106 |
* |
Roscommon/Longford |
133 |
130 |
180 |
64 |
Sligo/Leitrim |
140 |
147 |
78 |
46 |
Tipperary |
187 |
174 |
306 |
46 |
Waterford |
217 |
193 |
218 |
112 |
Westmeath |
107 |
147 |
199 |
97 |
Wexford |
213 |
211 |
230 |
115 |
Wicklow Div |
274 |
216 |
339 |
150 |
Totals |
5705 |
5569 |
6431 |
1827 |
* denotes a figure less than 10.
It is important to note that the above figures are based on incidents which occurred from 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2021, inclusive. All information contained in this report is based upon operational data from the Fixed Charge Processing System (FCPS) as was available on 13/01/2022 and is liable to change. Figures less than 10 are not released due to data protection considerations.
1290. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers listed in court for speeding by District Court in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; the number of drivers convicted of speeding in each of the years by the District Court; the number of drivers who had their cases dismissed and struck out each year by District Court; the number of drivers’ driver licence numbers recorded on conviction of speeding in each year by District Court; the penalties imposed on conviction each year by District Court; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2011/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have made enquiries with the Courts Service regarding the information sought by the Minister of State. The Courts Service have provided a significant volume of information in response to this question which I will arrange to be sent to the Minister of State directly.
1291. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers listed in court for speeding by District Court in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 which resulted in the case being struck out due to summons not served for speeding offence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2012/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1293. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers that were not convicted in court for speeding offence in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, by District Court due to the fact that they claimed in court the non-receipt of the original fixed charge notice for speeding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2014/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1294. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers listed in court for speeding by District Court in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 which resulted in the case being struck out or dismissed due to the Garda or gardaí not being present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2015/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1295. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers listed in court for speeding by District Court in each the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 which resulted in the case being struck out or dismissed due to the Garda or gardaí not being present due to the garda or gardaí being under suspension from duty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2016/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1291, 1293, 1294 and 1295 together.
As the Minister of State may be aware, the decision to strike out a matter before the Courts is for the Presiding Judge, who must be satisfied as to the reason being proferred for such an application. These applications can be made both by the prosecution and defence.
I am advised by the Courts Service that the Courts Service system does not record the reason a case was struck out unless the Judge includes the reason in their order and, for this reason, the Courts Service therefore cannot provide the information sought by the Minister of State.
The Minister of State may wish to note that An Garda Síochána are currently carrying out a review of the striking out of cases specifically relating to the offence of ‘holding a mobile phone while driving’ over the 12 month period from January 2017 to December 2017. An analysis of cases will illustrate the reasons for such applications by members of An Garda Síochána. While the review will examine the strike outs of ‘holding a mobile phone while driving’ offences, the findings of the review will capture learning that will be applicable across the summons process end to end.
1292. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Justice the number of drivers listed in court for speeding by District Court in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 which resulted in the case being struck out or dismissed due to the driver making a contribution to the court poor box; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2013/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Courts Service that the table below details the number of persons by District Court Area, where their offence for speeding was struck out/dismissed due to the driver making a contribution to the court poor box in each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Court Area |
Jan - Dec 2018 |
Jan - Dec 2019 |
Jan - Dec 2020 |
Jan - Dec 2021 |
ATHLONE |
|
|
|
1 |
BALLINASLOE |
2 |
2 |
|
1 |
BANDON |
3 |
3 |
|
7 |
BANTRY |
|
|
|
1 |
CARLOW |
|
|
|
2 |
CARRICK ON SUIR |
1 |
|
|
|
CASTLEREA |
1 |
|
|
|
CLONAKILTY |
|
|
|
1 |
CLONMEL |
|
1 |
|
|
CORK CITY |
1 |
1 |
|
|
DROGHEDA |
1 |
|
|
1 |
DUBLIN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT |
7 |
4 |
|
11 |
DUNGARVAN |
5 |
1 |
|
|
ENNIS |
|
|
|
1 |
KILLALOE |
|
1 |
|
|
LONGFORD |
|
|
|
1 |
LOUGHREA |
1 |
|
|
1 |
MACROOM |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
MULLINGAR |
|
|
|
3 |
PORTLAOISE |
1 |
|
|
|
STROKESTOWN |
|
|
|
1 |
TUAM |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
YOUGHAL |
1 |
|
|
|
Total |
29 |
18 |
5 |
32 |