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Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the temporary powers granted to An Garda Síochána were necessary and in the interest of protecting public health.
Speaking at the Dáil, the Minister paid tribute to front-line workers, including gardai, prison officials, judicial officials, and immigration staff and officials in managing the response to Covid-19.
And he emphasized that the new and temporary powers are due to the fact that the Gardai play a key role in protecting public health.
He said that due oversight has been given to the tradition in the police state through consent and compliance with human rights obligations.
Minister Flanagan said they make sure the gardai get involved, explain and encourage the public to comply and only as a last resort use the powers of execution.
Minister Flanagan said that he had asked Commissioner Garda to compile and publish a weekly record of the use of powers that was being done, and said that he had requested the Police Authority to regularly evaluate and report on the use of powers.
Minister Flanagan also called on victims of domestic violence to come forward and seek help.
He said state and front-line services were united to support victims, although he acknowledged that asking them to stay home should be an additional risk and a real feeling of fear for victims of domestic abuse.
Regarding the prison service, the Minister said that a series of measures had been taken to safeguard the well-being of prisoners.
He said these measures include a reduction in the number of prisoners, locking up vulnerable prisoners, isolation and evidence, trained contact-finding teams and suspension of family visits.
And regarding direct provision, he said the government recognized the need for off-site self-isolation facilities since the start of the pandemic.
He said four suitable locations in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Dundalk with capacity for 299 people were identified.
The minister said that more than 600 residents have been relocated to support social and physical distancing measures in the centers.
He also said that the number of people sharing a room was reduced to a maximum of three.
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