Results 7,901-7,920 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Election Management System: Election Management System (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: As the deputy will be aware, the main purpose of this Bill is to provide specific arrangements for voting by prisoners by way of postal voting. In Ireland, there is no legal prohibition on voting by prisoners, once they meet the standard qualifying criteria under electoral law which apply on a general basis. But, while a person in legal custody may be registered as an elector, under section...

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 184 together. I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that at present, there are 87 Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers and 8 Juvenile Liaison Officer Sergeants working in various Divisions throughout the country. In addition to this, the National Juvenile Office has...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: In order to further the proposals I made in my recent speech in Limerick concerning the issue of rebalancing criminal justice I have appointed an expert review group to examine and review certain aspects of the criminal law. The terms of reference of the Balance in the Criminal Law Review Group are to examine issues affecting: the right to silence; allowing character evidence of an accused;...

Written Answers — Closed Circuit Television Systems: Closed Circuit Television Systems (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Privacy Bill which was published on 4 July 2006 creates an offence to be known as the tort of invasion of privacy, for a person wilfully and without lawful authority to violate the privacy of another individual. Where material obtained from closed circuit television or other monitoring equipment may be used in an inappropriate manner then the aggrieved person will have an accessible...

Written Answers — Garda Complaints Procedures: Garda Complaints Procedures (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commissioners were appointed by the President on the 10th February 2006, following nomination by the Government and recommendations by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Commission is in a preparatory stage at present. I understand that the initial work of the Commission has involved study visits to their counterparts in Northern Ireland and the UK and initial...

Written Answers — Weapons Amnesty: Weapons Amnesty (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have been informed by An Garda Síochána that due to a delay in some Garda Stations making their returns to Garda Headquarters, a conclusive figure of weapons surrendered under the recent Amnesty will not be available until later this week. However, to date 522 firearms and 82 knives, which were surrendered under the Amnesty, have been returned to Garda Headquarters. A successful national...

Written Answers — Inspector of Prisons: Inspector of Prisons (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: Mr Justice Dermot Kinlen was appointed on a non statutory basis as Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention for a five year term with effect from his retirement from the High Court Bench in April, 2002 on reaching the statutory age limit for service in that Court. His existing term of office will, therefore, expire in April, 2007. I have received Government approval to establish an...

Written Answers — Crime Prevention: Crime Prevention (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Criminal Justice Act, 2006 contains provisions to deal with anti-social behaviour. The Act empowers a senior member of the Garda Síochána to apply to the District Court by way of a civil procedure for an order which will prohibit an adult from behaving in an anti-social manner. In relation to children aged 12 to 18 years, specially tailored provisions, fully integrated into the Children...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 216 together. Operation Anvil commenced in the Garda Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) on 17 May, 2005. It is an intelligence led policing initiative, the focus of which is the targeting of active criminals and their associates involved in serious crime by preventing and disrupting their criminal activity through extensive additional overt patrolling...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: I can inform the Deputy that the position remains as set out in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 185 of 3 October, 2006.

Written Answers — Probation and Welfare Service: Probation and Welfare Service (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Probation Service has been re-vitalised over the last twelve months and the process of change is continuing apace. I can advise the Deputy that following an open competition a new Director was appointed to the Probation Service in September, 2005. To support the Director and strengthen the management of the Service a new senior management structure for the Service has now been put in...

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: I am informed that the Garda Commissioner has appointed a Chief Superintendent from outside the Division in question to investigate all the circumstances surrounding the incident in Gort, Co. Galway, on 9 October, 2006, including the deployment of 'less lethal' weapons. I am further informed by the Garda authorities that this investigation is ongoing and, accordingly, it would not be...

Written Answers — Equality Issues: Equality Issues (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: My Department has considered the issue of access to employment opportunities for older people in the preparation of Employment Equality legislation, in equality proofing initiatives and in the context of social partnership agreements. The Employment Equality Acts are framed on the basis of a general principle that there ought to be no discrimination on the grounds of age, where the employee...

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: In August 2005, I received a submission from the Garda Commissioner on the resourcing requirements of An Garda Síochána. The submission was based on the Commissioner's analysis of the policing challenges facing An Garda Síochána in the medium and longer term, including the implications of demographic change, the need to continue to combat crime and terrorist threats, and the requirements...

Written Answers — Irish Prison Service: Irish Prison Service (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: The average cost of keeping an offender in custody is calculated by averaging out the current running costs of the prisons and places of detention against the average number of offenders in those institutions. These costs include certain items which are fixed no matter what the number of offenders in custody, e.g. utilities, staff salaries, etc. It also reallocates the cost of central...

Written Answers — Drug Seizures: Drug Seizures (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have been advised by the Garda authorities that the tables show the quantity, type and estimated street value of the major drugs seized for the years 2001 to 2005. More detail in relation to these statistics is provided in An Garda Síochána's Annual Reports. Year 2005 Type of Drug Quantity Estimated Street Value € Cannabis 150,401 grams 300,802 Cannabis Resin 6,259,750 grams...

Written Answers — Sexual Offences: Sexual Offences (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: Section 16 of the Criminal Evidence Act, 1992, as amended, makes provision for the video recording of any evidence given, in relation to a sexual offence or an act involving violence, by a person under 17 years of age through a live television link in proceedings relating to indictable offences. The relevant subsection — (1)(a) — was commenced in 1993. It will be noted that this...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Fees) Regulations, 1993, as amended in 1996, sets out the fees payable by various categories of persons who obtain Irish citizenship. The standard fee for naturalisation is €634.87. Exceptions are made in the case of a spouse of a naturalised Irish citizen; the non-national widow or widower of an Irish citizen; or a non-national minor child of an...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 245 of 27 September, 2006 in which I indicated my intention to publish the report referred to by the Deputy in due course, with the exception of any parts which could be deemed prejudicial to potential criminal proceedings. I have not received this report as yet.

Written Answers — Garda Disciplinary Proceedings: Garda Disciplinary Proceedings (7 Nov 2006)

Michael McDowell: In the Garda Síochána Act, 2005, I made detailed provisions for the making of Disciplinary Regulations for the Garda Síochána. In its report earlier this year, the Garda Síochána Act Implementation Group, chaired by Senator Maurice Hayes, acknowledged the requirement for changes to the Garda disciplinary regulations to coincide with the coming into operation of the Garda Ombudsman...