Results 4,441-4,460 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Crime Prevention (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I will certainly give consideration to what the Deputy is saying. The Garda Síochána has been very successful in targeting drug gangs and drug criminals in recent months, and in intercepting very substantial amounts of drugs. As I have the opportunity to do so, I would like to congratulate the Garda on a haul of cannabis yesterday evening with an approximate value of €1.7 million. It...

Crime Prevention (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I will quickly answer both questions. While I regard the hotline to which Deputy O'Brien refers as very important, I have great difficulty at the moment committing funding for anything for next year because were I to do so and having agreed to make a commitment on this issue, the next question I would be asked would be why I would not agree to commit to something else. Deputy O'Brien can be...

Commercial Rents (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 388, 397 and 398 together. The programme for Government indicates that legislation will be introduced to end upward only rent reviews for existing business leases. Following on from an initial consultation process with the Attorney General, I have forwarded outline proposals to her for further examination and development. Those proposals have been the...

Commercial Rents (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I confirm that I have met different organisations to obtain their views on different approaches that may be taken in the development of the legislation. I do not normally sing hymns but I assure the Deputy that the Attorney General and I are co-operating very closely in the development of the legislation. This is a difficult and complicated area to address. There are various rights issues...

Commercial Rents (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: That is an interesting question to which I am not sure of the answer. The legislation is a commitment in the programme for Government in the context of it addressing a very important issue which is impacting on our economy and the viability of otherwise viable businesses. On the other side of the equation, in the context of its relevance to the operation and functioning of the National...

Garda Operations (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that statistics relating to Garda response times for call-outs in Cork city are not readily available as incidents referred to the Garda control room for Cork city are manually recorded. I have been advised by the Garda authorities that the highest importance is given to emergency calls in Cork city and that they are responded to on a priority basis....

Garda Operations (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: Since my appointment as Minister for Justice and Equality no one has drawn my attention to there being major difficulties with regard to call-out times in Cork. In circumstances in which a manual system is still operating, there is a difficulty in accessing the information the Deputy is seeking. If such information were electronically maintained, it would and should be readily available....

Garda Operations (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I generally support the idea of civilianising basic administrative functions, some of which are currently undertaken by members of An Garda Síochána, and the issue forms part of the review. As Minister for Justice and Equality, I have an obligation to reduce expenditure. We must be careful that as garda numbers decrease in line with our EU-IMF commitment, we do not spend almost as much...

Garda Vetting Service (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Garda central vetting unit, GCVU, provides employment vetting for a large number of organisations that employ or engage in a voluntary capacity persons to work with children or vulnerable adults. There are more than 18,000 organisations registered with the GCVU. In the period 2007 to 2010 the number of vetting applications increased from 187,864 to 291,938. That is, by any standards, a...

Garda Vetting Service (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I hope it will be possible to provide, under the new internship scheme, some internship experience for persons currently unemployed. I had a conversation with the Garda Commissioner when the new JobBridge scheme was announced and it is my understanding the Garda has taken the initial steps necessary to recruit interns to the vetting unit. Working at the unit will give them important job...

Garda Vetting Service (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I raised with the Garda Commissioner the need for what I described as a fast-track system for special circumstances in which job offers were available for only a short period of time and vetting had to be undertaken with some speed. The difficulty, of course, is that if everyone sought to use this system, it would undermine its effectiveness. It has not yet proved possible, because of the...

Garda Deployment (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: The levels of service to be provided by the Garda Síochána are set out each year in the annual policing plan which is laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. The annual plan sets out the policing priorities for that year, the key actions to be taken in respect of each priority and the performance indicators by which the outcomes can be measured. The allocation of Garda personnel is...

Garda Deployment (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: I reiterate that these are operational decisions made by the Garda Commissioner. In that context it is worth bringing to the Deputy's attention that the detailed allocation of Garda resources, including equipment, and the allocation of personnel to various units are a matter for the Garda Commissioner to decide upon on the basis of his identified operational requirements. These vary from...

Garda Deployment (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: The review taking place throughout the Garda Síochána, and the feedback sought by the Garda Commissioner from his senior officers last June to a document produced to them, give senior officers in every area an opportunity to feed into the process. In so far as any senior officer is of the belief that his or her station and the needs of the community he or she serves are not being...

Leaders' Questions (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: Tell us what happened on your watch.

Leaders' Questions (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: How many banks were robbed on your watch?

Written Answers — Charitable Organisations: Charitable Organisations (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: 1Irish charities may take a number of legal forms. For example, some charities are companies limited by guarantee while other charities are trusts. They are, therefore, governed by the relevant legislative or other provisions governing such entities. Incorporated charities, for example, are subject to the provisions of company law and are generally required to provide information to the...

Written Answers — Anti-Social Behaviour: Anti-Social Behaviour (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: 1I am very aware of the distress that anti-social behaviour and low level crime can cause to communities. There are strong legislative provisions in place to combat anti-social behaviour in communities. These include provisions to deal with alcohol abuse, its effect on public order and late night street violence. In its Policing Plan for 2011, An Garda Síochána has prioritised actions to...

Written Answers — Sexual Offences: Sexual Offences (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: 1The Deputy's question concerns the disclosure, to parents, of information relating to persons on the sex offenders' register. In exceptional circumstances, the provision of appropriate information to the public is already possible. This includes the disclosure of such information to parents. Currently, this is done on an administrative basis but, subject to Government approval, I intend to...

Written Answers — Magdalene Laundries: Magdalene Laundries (20 Sep 2011)

Alan Shatter: 1I can advise the Deputy that the inter-departmental committee is charged with establishing the facts of the State's involvement, clarifying any State interaction with the Magdalen Laundries, and with producing a narrative detailing such interaction. As the working arrangements of the committee are a matter for its chairperson, Senator Martin McAleese, and he is independent in this matter, I...