Results 4,321-4,340 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Anti-Social Behaviour: Anti-Social Behaviour (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 172. Part 11 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006, which provides for civil proceedings in relation to anti-social behaviour by adults, was commenced on 1 January, 2007. Part 13 of the Act, relating to anti-social behaviour by children, was commenced on 1 March, 2007. These provisions set out an incremental procedure for addressing anti-social behaviour...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Government Alcohol Advisory Group which was established in January last to examine the public order aspects of the sale and consumption of alcohol submitted its Report on 31 March. It contains 31 recommendations for legislative and other reforms in areas covered by its terms of reference. On 22 April, the Government approved the drafting of the Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008 which...

Written Answers — Witness Protection Programme: Witness Protection Programme (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131, 162, 178 and 342 together. The intimidation of witnesses is an offence pursuant to Section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1999. Section 41 specifies the offence as harming, threatening or menacing or in any other way intimidating or putting in fear another person who is assisting in the investigation of an offence by the Garda Síochána, with the...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Garda Commissioner has committed in his Policing Plan 2008 to commence the development of a Garda Charter during the third and fourth quarters of 2008. The aim of a Garda Charter is to improve customer service and responsiveness. The Charter will set out targeted response times and levels of service the public can expect, including the frequency of high visibility patrols in urban and...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I refer to replies to Question Nos. 505, 39 and 487 of 4 March, 17 April and 20 May 2008 respectively. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Garda Employee Assistance Service: Garda Employee Assistance Service (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 195 together. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the Employee Assistance Programme in An Garda Síochána provides a confidential support and referral service to both serving and former members of An Garda Síochána, their immediate families, and to students. The service is available to help resolve work or personal issues that are causing...

Written Answers — Freedom of Information: Freedom of Information (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: As part of a general review of the operation of the Freedom of Information Act last year, the extension of the Act to An Garda Síochána was considered. That consideration involved an examination of all factors relevant to the governance, oversight and accountability of An Garda Síochána. Since the passage of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 An Garda Síochána and the regulatory and...

Written Answers — Public Order Offences: Public Order Offences (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 139 together. It is the nature of many public order offences that they are only recorded and detected because of the presence of Gardaí. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the increase in the number of public order offences detected reflects the significant increase in the level of Garda activity in this respect under Operation Encounter....

Written Answers — National Disability Strategy: National Disability Strategy (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I refer to the reply to Question No. 138 of 4 March 2008 which indicated that the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group — comprising representatives of stakeholder groups, senior officials of the relevant Government Departments and the National Disability Authority — received a third report on the National Disability Strategy by senior officials in January 2008. The...

Written Answers — Garda Compensation Tribunal: Garda Compensation Tribunal (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Currently, Gardaí who sustain injuries maliciously inflicted upon them in the performance of their duties are entitled in accordance with the Garda Síochána (Compensation) Acts 1941 and 1945 to apply for an authorisation from my Department to seek compensation in the High Court. Those Acts oblige me, as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, to refuse to authorise an...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Proposals to transpose Directive 2006/24/EC of the European Parliament and Council on the retention of telephony and internet data are being drafted at present. Groups with an interest in the Directive have been given an opportunity to examine the draft Statutory Instrument that will transpose the Directive into Irish law and any views they have on it will form the basis for further discussions.

Written Answers — Crime Prevention: Crime Prevention (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Garda Dog Unit performs a valuable service for the Garda Síochána in a range of different policing roles including drug detection and crowd control incidents. I refer the Deputy to a comprehensive reply to Question 91 on the matter also down for answer today.

Written Answers — State Bodies: State Bodies (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: My Department recognises the critical importance of maintaining a continuous focus on driving both efficiency and effectiveness from its expenditure and a key initiative in this regard is the Department's Value for Money (VFM) review programme. This programme has already completed VFM reviews in respect of the Asylum/Immigration field, Prisons Capital Projects and the Probation Service's...

Written Answers — Recidivism Rate: Recidivism Rate (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service facilitated a major study of prisoner re-offending by the UCD Institute of Criminology. The study found that 27.4% of released prisoners were serving a new prison sentence with one year. This rose to 39.2% after two years, 45.1% after three years, and 49.2% after four years. The fact that over 50% of prisoners do not re-offend...

Written Answers — Garda Complaints Procedures: Garda Complaints Procedures (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144, 174 and 189 together. The Ombudsman Commission is an integral part of the new Garda regulatory system introduced by the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Not alone does the Act set out the role of the Garda Síochána in policing the State and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate in benchmarking performance by reference to standards internationally, it establishes...

Written Answers — Customs and Excise: Customs and Excise (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Our drug law enforcement response remains a vital feature of our overall response in addressing the drugs issue under the Government's National Drugs Strategy. As the Deputy will appreciate, under the National Strategy it is the Customs Service which has primary responsibility for the prevention, detection, interception and seizure of controlled drugs at the point of importation. Given the...

Written Answers — Firearms Licences: Firearms Licences (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I can inform the House that Section 4, Firearms Act 1925 addresses conditions of grant of a firearm certificate and specifies that the Superintendent shall, before granting a firearm certificate, be satisfied that the applicant: (a) has a good reason for requiring the certificate, (b) can be permitted to have in his possession, use, and carry a firearm or ammunition without danger to the...

Written Answers — Inquiries into Garda Activities: Inquiries into Garda Activities (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 160 together. The work of the Morris Tribunal has greatly influenced the policy underpinning the Garda Síochána Act 2005 which constituted the most fundamental review of the Garda Síochána in the history of the State. The extent of those reforms and the speed with which they were implemented are indicative of the level of commitment the...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to my answer to Priority Question No. 1 of today's date.

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (28 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to my answer to Question No. 90 of today's date.