Results 4,981-5,000 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Deputy Ó Snodaigh links it to a licensed premises. His amendment reads: "Any person other than a licensee who takes intoxicating liquor from a licensed premise for the purpose of its being sold on the account". It is linked to the licensed premises. Under existing legislation a licensee would be prosecutable in that instance. Going on the recommendations of the report, the advisory group...

Written Answers — Joint Policing Committees: Joint Policing Committees (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Joint Policing Committees are provided for in the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Because a Committee will be established in each local authority area in the State — of which there are 114 — it was considered desirable to run a time-limited pilot to gain experience in their operation before full rollout. There are now 29 Committees established in the pilot phase, and they operate under...

Written Answers — Civilianisation Programme: Civilianisation Programme (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The civilianisation programme proposed for An Garda Síochána is being implemented by the Garda Commissioner and significant progress has been made to date in the recruitment of civilian staff. The total number of full and part-time civilian staff assigned to the Garda Síochána as at the 30th June 2008 has increased to 2,549 from 2,267 on 10th December 2007. This represents just over 14%...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The existing processing time for applications for certificates of naturalisation is approximately thirty months and this is primarily due to the significant increase in the volume of applications received in the last number of years. In 2002 there were 3,500 applications for certificates of naturalisation whereas in 2007, the number of such applications exceeded 8,000, representing a very...

Written Answers — Crime Statistics: Crime Statistics (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to circulate in the Official Report a tabular statement setting out details of the number of recorded incidents involving a firearm in each of the five years to date; the number of proceedings commenced; and the number leading to convictions. Figures provided for 2008 are provisional, operational and liable to change. The details have been compiled by the Central Statistics...

Written Answers — Prison Building Programme: Prison Building Programme (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Negotiations are currently underway with a commercial consortium, which was selected following an E.U. tender procedure as the preferred tender for the design, construction, finance and maintenance of the proposed prison facilities at Thornton Hall, North County Dublin. The project includes the construction of the prison facilities along with the ancillary infrastructure including services....

Written Answers — Gangland Killings: Gangland Killings (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 52 of today. I condemn the activities of those involved in organised crime who carry out attacks on others with whom they regard themselves as being in dispute and who do not hesitate to use lethal weapons in doing so. In particular, I condemn attacks on people who appear to have been targeted for no other reason other than that they...

Written Answers — Inquiries into Garda Activities: Inquiries into Garda Activities (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: As the Deputy will be aware, Mr Justice Morris has produced six excellent and comprehensive reports to date all of which have been published. His seventh and eighth reports are currently awaited by me. On 1 April 2008 he wrote to my predecessor indicating that he would be in a position to submit those last remaining reports in mid June. However on 13 June he contacted the Secretary General...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The website launch follows the publication last year of an OECD Report on Ireland's implementation of the Convention on Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and represents a cross-departmental, multi-agency approach to raising awareness and ensuring that the public is fully informed of how they should report any suspicion of such corrupt practices. It is...

Written Answers — Criminal Prosecutions: Criminal Prosecutions (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: A central element of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Sampling and Evidence) Bill will be the establishment of a DNA database for the purposes of criminal investigations and the identification of missing or unknown deceased persons or seriously injured persons. The Bill will provide an updated statutory framework for the taking and use of forensic samples and will repeal the Criminal Justice...

Written Answers — Child Abduction: Child Abduction (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Article 13 of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction sets out criteria whereby a court before whom an application for the return of a child to its country of habitual residence might refuse to order that return. Where a party to such proceedings asserts that those criteria or any of them exist in any particular case, it is a matter to be determined by the...

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Children Act 2001, as amended, provides for a number of measures in relation to parental responsibility in respect of children involved in anti-social behaviour, and children found guilty of offences. Section 91 of the Act provides that the parents or guardian of a child shall, be required to attend at all stages of any proceedings against the child for an offence, including family...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 91 and 105 together. As I indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Questions nos. 94, 170 and 201 on 28 May 2008, work on the scheme of the Judicial Council Bill, which builds on the report of the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Ethics, is at an advanced stage of development in my Department. The intention is that the Bill will establish a judicial council...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the number of murders involving knives or sharp instruments increased from 23 in 2006 to 37 in 2007. This increase is a matter of concern. I am also informed that for the first six months of this year four murder offences involving a knife or sharp instrument have been recorded. I am further informed that 721 proceedings were taken in 2006 for...

Written Answers — Community Policing: Community Policing (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 122 together.

Written Answers — Community Policing: Community Policing (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the number of Gardaí assigned to Community policing in each Garda Division on 31 May 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was as set out in the table hereunder: Division Strength Division Strength DMR South Central 81 Kerry 6 DMR North Central 70 Limerick 86 DMR North 68 Donegal 20 DMR East 60 Cavan/Monaghan...

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: On 31 May 2007 there were 13,140 attested members of An Garda Síochána with a further 1,349 recruits in training, making a combined strength of 14,489. On 31 May 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 13,855 attested members of An Garda Síochána with a further 1,354 recruits in training. The combined strength of the Force on that date was 15,209. The...

Written Answers — Garda Ombudsman: Garda Ombudsman (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I have no proposals to make any changes to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. However, discussions have been taking place between the Commission and my Department for some time regarding certain amendments to the Garda Síochána Act 2005 proposed by the Commission. This is against the background of the Report made by the Commission pursuant to section 80(2) in the Act and the changes...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland was in the first group of countries to sign, subject to ratification, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities when it opened for signature on 30 March 2007. A high-level, cross-departmental implementation group was established in 2007 to advise on any changes to the Government's National Disability Strategy that may be required to enable the State ratify the...

Written Answers — Sentencing Policy: Sentencing Policy (8 Jul 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Sentencing policy, including mandatory sentencing, is a matter which is kept under review within my Department. The Deputy will appreciate that the Courts are, subject only to the Constitution and the law, independent in the exercise of their judicial functions. The traditional approach to sentencing is for the Oireachtas to lay down the maximum penalty appropriate to an offence generally...