Results 3,501-3,520 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Court Services: Court Services (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Family law cases in the High Court are listed before the court within three months of the commencement of proceedings. Urgent matters can, on application, be granted a hearing within two weeks of commencement of the case. The county in which parties reside is not recorded as, under the Constitution, the High Court has full original jurisdiction in all cases.

Written Answers — Detention Centres: Detention Centres (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I can inform the Deputy that, in the context of the ongoing development of a single national detention facility for children on the Oberstown campus, there is an opportunity for flexible deployment of staffing resources across the three children detention schools on the campus. This is to enable management to best utilise available skills and experience. The staffing needs of the children...

Written Answers — Website Security: Website Security (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I have no lead responsibility for the security arrangements of Irish Government websites. The specific responsibilities of each Department in this regard are a matter for the relevant Minister. With regard to my Department's website, I am satisfied that there are sufficient perimeter and access controls in place to ensure reasonable protection. Security audits have shown no evidence of...

Written Answers — County Registrars: County Registrars (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will be aware that the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes recommended a reduction in Registrar numbers from 26 to 15. There are currently three County Registrar vacancies (Monaghan, Sligo and Tipperary) whose functions are being covered by neighbouring Registrars under the provisions of Section 30 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Over the past few years strong legislative, administrative and operational measures have been put in place to combat and prevent trafficking in persons for both sexual and labour exploitation purposes. The Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 with penalties of up to life imprisonment for human trafficking has greatly strengthened the law in this area. Section 5 of the Act makes it an...

Written Answers — Public Sector Salaries: Public Sector Salaries (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The pay scales currently applicable to the judiciary are as follows: Post Salary Chief Justice €295,916 President of the High Court €274,779 Judge of the Supreme Court €257,872 President of the Circuit Court €249,418 Judge of the High Court €243,080 President of the District Court €183,894 Judge of the Circuit Court €177,554 ...

Written Answers — Garda Recruitment: Garda Recruitment (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda Authorities that as of 31 May 2011, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the number of attested members of the Garda Reserve was 761 with approximately a further 181 in training. The functions, powers and duties of members of the Garda Reserve are a matter for the Commissioner to determine. The target strength of the Garda Reserve remains at 10%...

Written Answers — Garda Recruitment: Garda Recruitment (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that as the current Strategy and Implementation Plan for Neighbourhood Watch, covering the period 2007 - 2011, is in its final year of operation, it is now being reviewed. Future strategies to develop Neighbourhood Watch, and similar programmes such as Community Alert, as effective crime prevention initiatives will take account of the overall policing...

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Applications for refugee status in the State are determined by an independent process comprising the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal (RAT) which make recommendations to the Minister for Justice and Equality on whether such status should be granted. During 2010, the median processing time for asylum applications by the ORAC was 6 to 7...

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Following the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty the legal basis for Council Directive 2003/9/EC laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers is Article 78(2)(f) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Accordingly, the provisions of the EU Treaty Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the Area of Freedom, Security and...

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy refers to Ireland's first instance recognition rate as computed by Eurostat (the EU Statistical Agency). It should be noted that this calculation is based on positive decisions as a proportion of all decisions made at first instance. This is important as the calculation for Ireland differs from that of almost all other EU Member States. The reason for this is that Ireland does not...

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am committed to Ireland fulfilling its international obligations under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol. The Convention provides for a system of international protection for persons who are unable or unwilling to avail of the protection of their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted. Ireland's asylum system is based on...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Chief Executive Officer of the Equality Authority is accountable to the Public Accounts Committee, under current legislation. I am satisfied as to the Authority's ability, under current arrangements, to discharge its responsibilities in an independent and transparent way. I refer the Deputy to my reply below to Parliamentary Question Reference No. 9016 of 3 May 2011. The position in...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: In the absence of more specific information, I can only advise the Deputy that naturalised parents may make an application for Citizenship on behalf of their minor children under Section 16 (c) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The commitment in the Programme for Government is to introduce consolidated and reformed domestic violence legislation to address all aspects of domestic violence, threatened violence and intimidation in a manner that provides protection to victims. The commitment will be progressed by my Department as soon as possible. In the meantime I intend to provide in the Civil Law (Miscellaneous...

Written Answers — Immigration Issues: Immigration Issues (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The current situation where non-EEA national children, under the age of 16, are not required to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau and do not receive any immigration documentation to authenticate their residence is being addressed by the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2010, which the Government has restored to the Dáil order paper. The Bill in effect removes...

Written Answers — Firearms Licences: Firearms Licences (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by the Garda authorities that such a product would be considered a firearm and so a firearm certificate would be required in order to possess it. As the Deputy may be aware, an applicant for a firearm certificate must have good reason for requiring the firearm and can only be permitted to possess, use or carry the firearm if there is no danger to the public safety or the peace....

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 397 of Tuesday, 17th May, 2011 - set out beneath. The position is unchanged since then. Arising from the refusal of his asylum application, and in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), the person concerned was notified, by letter dated 30th September, 2005, that the Minister proposed...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended, provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation. In accordance with the legislation the Minister makes decisions on naturalisation applications based on all of the information available. My predecessor decided in his absolute discretion to refuse the application...

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (21 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am in formed by the Garda Authorities that as of the 31 May 2011, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of Gardaí stationed at each station in the Dublin Region, was as set out in the table. District Station Number of Gardaí DMR East Blackrock 96 Dundrum 72 Stepaside 30 Cabinteely 39 Dalkey 31 Dun Laoghaire 108 Kill-O-Grange 28 Shankill 57 DMR North...