Results 41-60 of 1,184,965 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Violet-Anne Wynne OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Mattie McGrath OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Alan Dillon OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Sorca Clarke OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Matt Shanahan OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Brendan Howlin OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:Catherine Martin OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Patricia Ryan OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Bernard Durkan OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Ossian Smyth OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett OR speaker:Helen McEntee OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Carol Nolan OR speaker:Thomas Pringle OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:Thomas Byrne OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Cian O'Callaghan OR speaker:Joe Flaherty)

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Thomas Pringle: Is that €8 million for one aircraft?

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: For the second helicopter. It is on top of what was already spent last year. Just over €11 million was spent last year, so it is close to €20 million for one.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Thomas Pringle: For one helicopter.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: This would be a quite high technology and high-powered helicopter, perhaps more than would be seen on a normal helicopter. This allows the Garda to have the capacity and capabilities to engage with our partners right across the various different services and supports as well.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Thomas Pringle: Is it capable of being operational nationwide?

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: Yes. It brings us in line with some of our international and European counterparts. It is something that An Garda Síochána has been looking to upgrade for quite some time. It has a life span of about 20 years so it is not something we need to invest in every second year.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Thomas Pringle: That is €1 million per year then.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: Depending on the operations it is money well spent as well.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Thomas Pringle: I would not like to be jumping into it when it is 19.5 years old.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Deputy Pringle. With regard to the superannuation underspend of €16.5 million I am pleased to hear there has been a lower than expected number of retirements from the Garda. Is this related to the increase in the retirement age? What type of figure are we looking at for the numbers of gardaí who reached 60 and who are now staying on?

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: It appears to be down to the extension from the age of 60 to 62, which is obviously positive. To the end of September 51 gardaí have secured extended service so it becomes an automated enrolment - people have to opt out if they do not want to stay on. Last year it was 55 for the whole year. To the end of September this year we had 51 so far. I expect we will know a lot more because...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am very pleased to hear that 1,800 people applied for the Garda Reserve competition. How many are we recruiting? Under the legislation the Garda Commissioner has complete responsibility for what the Garda Reserve will or will not do, but do we see any role for the political body in trying to make decisions as to how we should direct them? The Garda Reserve was not effectively used by...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: The target is 2,000 additional reservists by 2026. Next year and the following year is when we will hire the vast majority of those. Prior to the competition opening there was a review of the overall structure of the reserve and its functions, as well as the recommendation to increase the stipend for reservists, which was secured in the budget. That has been set out. While there were some...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister. The committee will now consider Vote 21 for the Irish Prison Service. Do any members have any questions for the Minister?

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: The funding secured to date for the 1,100 places does include the Curragh Camp. The final proposal for that is not yet complete. It has not been used in quite a while. It would provide accommodation for about 60 people. We need to make sure if we are investing in a standalone area that requires separate staff that we are getting value for money and that it can be used to its full...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: It is and the figures include a certain amount for that. Again, similar to the group that I established this year to look at capacity for Garda training, I have established a separate group looking at the need for additional prison spaces, whether that is a new prison or more than one new prison, and to look at men's spaces as well as what is available to us for women. The Dóchas...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: Absolutely. We need to do more and we need to increase our numbers overall. I absolutely believe we need a new prison.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: We need a new prison and potentially more than one if that were to include a new women's prison. The group is due to report to me this month. It will give a clearer indication of what that might look like.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: The probation service has received significant additional funding. The Deputy is right. Just this morning I was speaking to the head of the Probation Service. There is a 57-member panel of prison probation officers. There is also a 53-member panel of probation assistants. That is a new role brought into effect in the last few years to assist our probation officers. This is to try and...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: I am sorry will the Deputy repeat that figure?