A BACKLOG of 50,000 requests for Garda vetting and a doubling of the demand for legal aid are among the problems presented to the new Minister for Justice by the department.
Garda vetting is required in relation to people working with children and other vulnerable people, but there is a considerable backlog of requests.
The information came in a Freedom of Information request from The Irish Times for the briefing papers given to the Minister, Alan Shatter. It also states the number of European arrest warrants received, which is up from 26 in 2004 to 373 last year, is putting strain on judicial, court and Garda resources.
Another area where the department’s resources are stretched is in applications for citizenship, which have risen threefold in two years and now stand at 25,796.
While asylum applications have fallen sharply from 11,500 in 2002 to 1,939 last year, there are still 12,000 cases on the repatriation list, many awaiting decisions on their entitlement to subsidiary protection or other considerations under the 1999 Immigration Act.
In relation to legal aid, the document points out that due to the economic downturn, increasing numbers of people are eligible for legal aid. Problems like debt and family problems have increased, so that the demand has grown from 9,689 in 2006 to 17,175 in 2010.
The Legal Aid Board now accepts people in receipt of social protection payments without further means tests, which is easing administrative pressure, and it is also seeking to use mediation and private practitioners more.
A new detention centre for children under 18 was planned, but this depends on Government approval and the necessary funding. The programme for government included a commitment to take 16- and 17-year-old boys out of St Patrick’s Institution, and phase one of the project is intended to do this.
A new Citizenship Act is being planned and issues under consideration include a longer residency requirement than the existing one of five years and language and integration testing.
A number of the Bills that fell with the last Government are likely to be revived, probably with some amendment, including measures to deal with complex crime, an increase in the use of community service orders and a Bill establishing a DNA database.
Bills dealing with bankruptcy, regulating property services, mental capacity (replacing the wards of court system) and a legal costs Bill are all listed as priorities.