Results 6,081-6,100 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Garda Operations. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is interesting that Deputy Howlin is so selective in quoting the Dáil record because, if he turned back a few pages, he would note that he raised the matter for the first time in this House. He asked: Does the Minister accept that his current policy has not worked and that the first step to a successful policy lies in recognising his failure to date? He stated yesterday and today that...

Garda Operations. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy should not get so excited. He continued: "Does [the Minister] accept that 23 are out on bail and walking the streets and what does he propose to do about this?"

Prison Literacy Rates. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Irish Prison Service report, The Prison Adult Literacy Survey: Results and Implications, which was published in September 2003, is the most recent information available to my Department. The major results of the survey indicated that a significant number of prisoners have virtually no literacy skills and 52% were at level one or pre-level one literacy levels. In other words, more than...

Prison Literacy Rates. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I fully agree with the Deputy that rehabilitation must be at the heart of the prison process. At present, 210 whole-time teacher equivalents work in the Prison Service, of whom 37 have been assigned specifically to literacy duties. Consequently, resources are being devoted to this area. The Deputy referred to the curtailment of education services that obtained during the emergency...

Crime Levels. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: The report referred to by the Deputy is The Burden of Crime in the EU — a Comparative Analysis of the European Crime and Safety Survey (EU ICS) 2005. The survey was carried in the 15 old member states of the European Union plus Poland, Hungary and Estonia. The findings of that survey need to be approached with caution. The sample size in the survey of approximately 2,000 is extremely...

Crime Levels. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is not reasonable for me to reject the CSO's figures in this regard. Those figures were produced on the basis of 37,000 respondents in face-to-face interviews in 29,500 households.

Crime Levels. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I cannot see that I can reject the CSO's method of approach as the House relies on its figures.

Crime Levels. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I do not believe I should reject them. The Deputy asked whether anything good was happening or was planned. For the past three quarters, the crime rate has reduced. I went to the Phoenix Park yesterday to discuss crime trends with the Commissioner and his two deputies and was told they are of the view that the trend is downward in this quarter also.

Child Protection. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that on 22 August 2006 the Interpol office at Garda headquarters received information from the Austrian authorities that they were processing reports of child pornography on the Internet and that Ireland was one of 72 countries included in the notification by the Austrian authorities. No action was taken at the time by the Garda authorities on foot of...

Child Protection. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I share the Deputy's view that there is substantial public concern on the matter. The situation is that the document in question was misinterpreted by the recipient as a general circular, the implication of which was not understood. The document was treated as a general circular rather than a warning to the Irish system that certain activity was taking place here. That was a serious error...

Child Protection. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: After this came into the public domain, I spoke to the Commissioner and deputy commissioner about operations. They assured me they had taken steps immediately to ensure that in future circular material of this kind would be more carefully examined, that any reference to Ireland would be immediately acted upon, that inquiries would be made with regard to the sending case to ensure gardaí...

Child Protection. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: He has not indicated, but I presume it cannot take long as it is not a complex matter.

Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Bill is important and has taken a long time to get to this point. When it is on Committee Stage and so on, everyone will be able to participate.

Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I do not believe there is promised legislation relevant to that, but I want to say this. Yesterday evening I said in this House in answer to a question from Deputy Jim O'Keeffe that I had no hand, act or part in the arrest of anybody yesterday in regard to these matters. I also indicated to him that I had not caused any complaint to be made to the Garda Síochána or requested any person to...

Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I have met Mick McCaffrey whom I like a lot and I think he is a very decent fellow. He is a relative of an officer in my Department and I have met him on a number of occasions. I had no idea on that occasion——

Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: ——that this was going to happen to him. I like him very much as an individual. He is a decent, hardworking journalist. I have no malice whatsoever against him. I can assure this House that what I said here yesterday and repeated here today is the total unvarnished truth. I am disappointed that an Opposition Deputy——

Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: ——who asked me about this yesterday, received an assurance from me, would write an article in one of today's newspapers——

Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: ——saying that my fingerprints were all over this arrest. That is not true.

Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy will be aware that the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 was passed by this House in order to avoid huge tribunal expenses. One of the elements that is part of the Bill is that instead of having the right of examination, cross-examination and adversarial procedure, the chairman of a commission is obliged to make available any finding to any person likely to be affected by it...

Order of Business (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: Yes, three years ago. It was passed by all of us in this House.