Results 5,541-5,560 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I can inform the Deputy that on 18 November, 2011, there were a total of 290 prisoners in custody in Cork prison compared to a bed capacity of 272. As I said last week in my replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 196 and 197 on 16 November, 2011, the Government remains very much committed to addressing the twin problems of overcrowding and poor physical conditions particularly in Mountjoy...

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 408 and 409 together. As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for the children detention schools under Part 10 of the Children Act, 2001 will shortly transfer to my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. The Children Act, 2001 allows for 16 and 17 year old males to be detained in St. Patrick's Institution until such time as sufficient...

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Inspector of Prisons recognised that in certain areas prisons will not be able to comply with all of his recommendations in the short term. As long as there is overcrowding and limitations on resources there will be difficulties in achieving full implementation. As the Deputy will appreciate the Irish Prison Service must accept all prisoners committed by the Courts into its custody and...

Written Answers — Temporary Release of Prisoners: Temporary Release of Prisoners (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 411 and 416 together. The Criminal Justice Act 1960, as amended by the Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Act 2003 provides that sentenced prisoners may be approved temporary release. This discretionary instrument assists in gradually preparing suitable offenders for release and in administering short sentences, and is an incentive to...

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: The objectives of open centres are to provide a place of detention aimed at the rehabilitation of offenders. Open Centres have a regime that includes education, training and work which encourages a sense of personal responsibility and self respect in order to assist prisoners leading law-abiding lives on their return to the community. The profile of open centres generally include either low...

Written Answers — Prison Medical Service: Prison Medical Service (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Prison Service provides prisoners with the same standard of health care as members of the public who hold a medical card. Prisoners receive care through the primary care system (involving doctors, nurses and other in-reach health care professionals) which is delivered in each prison setting. The Irish Prison Service continues to seek to enhance and expand health care services across the...

Written Answers — Violence in Prisons: Violence in Prisons (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: No level of inter prisoner violence is acceptable. Every effort is made by prison staff and management to limit the scope of acts of violence. However, no regime can completely eliminate the possibility of violent incidents happening in a prison setting where a large number of dangerous and violent offenders are being held. When you consider that in 2010 the Irish Prison Service provided...

Written Answers — Fines Act: Fines Act (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: The majority of the Fines Act 2010 has been commenced and I recently announced in the context of the capital estimates that funding will be made available during 2012 for the full implementation of the remaining sections. It is important to note that Section 14 of the Act which was commenced earlier this year, for the first time places an obligation on the court to take account of a person's...

Written Answers — Community Service Orders: Community Service Orders (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Probation Service of my Department has responsibility for the supervision and management of Community Service Orders in accordance with the Criminal Justice (Community Service) Act, 1983 as amended by the Criminal Justice (Community Service) (Amendment) (No.2) Act 2011. This work, inter alia, involves providing assessment reports to the Courts and managing the completion of the Orders by...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: It is not clear if the Deputy is referring to a specific area of immigration law. There are a wide range of offences within the overall legislative framework dealing with immigration and asylum, some of which may result in detention. Also, there is no general prohibition on immigration related detention in international human rights law that I am aware of. This State, like every other...

Written Answers — Prison Committals: Prison Committals (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I can inform the Deputy that the number of committals on remand who were either released by Court or did not receive a sentence by year end are outlined in the table. Year Total 2006 5,311 2007 4,967 2008 5,052 2009 4,519 2010 4,836 Source: Irish Prison Service Annual Reports The more specific figures requested by the Deputy are not available at present. However, the Irish Prison...

Written Answers — Sentencing Policy: Sentencing Policy (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 429 together. I have already introduced a number of measures to encourage the use of non-custodial sanctions. Furthermore one of the recommendations of the Thornton Hall Review Group was the establishment of an all encompassing strategic review of penal policy which would incorporate an examination and analysis of all aspects of penal policy including...

Written Answers — Prisoner Protection: Prisoner Protection (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 421 and 422 together. The number of requests made by prisoners for protection during the past five years is not centrally recorded by the Irish Prison Service. However, the total number of prisoners held on protection in St. Patrick's Institution, including prisoners who were over 18 years of age, for the last five years is outlined in the table. *Year...

Written Answers — Prisoner Complaints Procedures: Prisoner Complaints Procedures (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act 1925 provides for a visiting committee to be constituted for every prison in the State and one of the statutory duties of such committees is to hear any complaints which may be made to them by a prisoner. Under new legislation to be prepared, I intend to make Visiting Committees more effective while they continue their role. The arrangements for...

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: St. Patrick's Institution is a closed medium security place of detention for males aged 16 to 21 years of age and accommodates both remand and sentenced prisoners. As far as practicable, 16 and 17 year olds are kept in a separate wing with single cell accommodation. In the longer term, the Irish Youth Justice Service, an office of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, will take...

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will be aware that the primary role of the Irish Prison Service is the provision of safe and secure custody for prisoners. The Deputy will also be aware that the Prison Service must accept all persons committed by the courts into custody and does not have the option of refusing committals. I am informed that there was 34 women in custody on 18 November, 2011 in Limerick Female...

Written Answers — Prison Medical Service: Prison Medical Service (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 430 together. In April 2011, I established the Thornton Hall Review Group. They reported to me in July 2011 and one of their recommendations included the establishment of an all encompassing strategic review of penal policy which would incorporate an examination and analysis of all aspects of penal policy including the issue of female prisoners. On...

Written Answers — Prison Service: Prison Service (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that every effort is made to allow women prisoners to fulfil their role as mothers having due regard to the best interests of the child. Contact therefore between women prisoners and their children is fostered, encouraged and facilitated where possible by the Prison Service. Prison visits involving children, subject to the maintenance of good order...

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: There are no babies at present in the care of mothers in custody. However, there is a considerable level of support available for mothers and babies in the Dóchas Centre when the need arises. Provisions are made to facilitate new mothers keeping their infants with them in custody where appropriate, so as not to disrupt early bonding. In such cases the mother and child are provided with...

Written Answers — Anti-Racism Measures: Anti-Racism Measures (22 Nov 2011)

Alan Shatter: I would firstly like to state that this Government is firmly committed to combating and challenging any and all manifestations of racism. Ireland was one of the first states in the EU and, indeed, in the world in developing a National Action Plan Against Racism. When the National Action Plan Against Racism was launched in 2005, it was conceived as a four-year programme to run until the end...