Results 5,781-5,800 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Written Answers — Drugs in Prisons: Drugs in Prisons (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am committed to ensuring that all prisons are drug free in line with the commitments contained in the Irish Prison Service Drugs Policy and Strategy and I will continue to pursue strategies to achieve that objective. Drugs have a pernicious effect both on prisoners and on the prison system itself and they must be eradicated. However, this is not a problem that can be solved overnight. One...

Written Answers — Organised Crime: Organised Crime (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Garda authorities that they believe criminal groups or individuals are using young people in Limerick City to facilitate the commission of serious criminal acts. I condemn the manipulation by criminal gangs of young people in this way. This issue is of particular concern in relation to gang related criminal activity in Limerick. Addressing gang and feud related...

Written Answers — Jury Service: Jury Service (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 607 together. Under the law as it stands, the Juries Act 1976 provides that every citizen aged 18 years or upwards and under the age of 70 years is qualified and liable to serve as a juror. Persons excusable from jury service as of right include those aged 65 years or upwards and under the age of 70 years. Prior to the Act of 1976 the upper age was 65...

Written Answers — Liquor Licensing Laws: Liquor Licensing Laws (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 555 together. I intend to bring the contents of the Report of the Alcohol Advisory Group to the attention of Government in the very near future and, at the same time, seek Government approval of my proposals for the implementation of recommendations contained in the Report. As the Deputy is aware, the Group was asked to examine the following areas of...

Written Answers — Prison Education Service: Prison Education Service (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I can inform the Deputy that the Linkage Programme is a National training and employment initiative designed to create a link between employers and ex-offenders. It was established in February, 2000, and is funded by my Department, under the National Development Plan, as a joint project between Business in the Community Ireland (BITC) and the Probation Service. In the current year the...

Written Answers — Departmental Inquiries: Departmental Inquiries (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I welcome Mr Hartnett's report which constitutes a detailed and independent examination by an eminent and experienced senior counsel of the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of Brian Rossiter. I accept the findings of the Inquiry. I have been advised that publication of the report in full is not possible for legal reasons. Instead I published a comprehensive summary last...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: My proposals for the Scheme of a Civil Partnership Bill were circulated to Government Departments on 14 March, 2008, and are at present the subject of consultations with the relevant Departments and the Attorney General. They will shortly be formally submitted to Government after which the Scheme of the Bill will be published. I stated in the Dáil on 31 October, 2007, that I would bring...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Government Legislative Programme published on 1 April 2008 provides for publication of the Property Services Regulatory Authority Bill during the current Dail session. The position regarding property management companies is that the Law Reform Commission published a Consultation Paper on Multi-Unit Developments in December 2006 which identified problems relating to the structure and...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy will be aware that the Government's Legislative Programme includes a proposed Criminal Law (Defence of Life and Property) Bill, the drafting of which the previous Government approved in March 2007. The Deputy may also be aware that this important issue is currently being examined by the Law Reform Commission as part of its consideration of the issue of defences generally, in the...

Written Answers — Garda Equipment: Garda Equipment (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 43 together. Following the completion of a pilot Digital Radio project by the Garda authorities, a decision was taken to procure a single nationwide digital radio service for use by the Garda authorities, other emergency services and non-commercial State bodies. This enables economies of scale as well as allowing for inter-agency communication in the...

Written Answers — Criminal Prosecutions: Criminal Prosecutions (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Following the submission in 2004 of a report and recommendations by an expert group on crime statistics, it was decided that the compilation and publication of crime statistics should be taken over by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, from the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána Act 2005 consequently makes provision for this and the CSO has established a...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 89 together. The Garda will continue to police Limerick to meet the challenges posed by the activities of gangs and organised crime. The Commissioner is adopting a hard policing approach and has deployed a unit from the Emergency Response Unit on a 24 hour basis. The ERU team is under the supervision of local Garda management and is operating through...

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As of 31 March 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 674 members of the Garda Síochána assigned to community policing. This represents 4.84% of the total strength of the Force of 13,900 on that date. These figures are broken down by Division in the following table. The Deputy will appreciate that, as with any large organisation, on any given day the...

Written Answers — Drugs in Prisons: Drugs in Prisons (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: A wide range of security measures are currently in place aimed at reducing the supply of contraband, including drugs, into our prisons. These measures include: Tighter control and monitoring of prisoner visits in all closed prisons; New visiting arrangements in most closed prisons, with visitors required to be pre-approved by the Governor and required to provide identification on each visit;...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the approximate total cost of Garda policing arrangements at Shannon Airport on 6 April, 2008, in respect of the planned possible stopover by the US President was €151,921, which includes salaries and overtime payments. In this regard, the Garda Síochána is statutorily required to provide policing services for the State with the aim of...

Written Answers — Organised Crime: Organised Crime (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Garda Authorities that organised criminal gangs operating in this jurisdiction are being targeted on an ongoing basis. The profiles of those suspected of involvement in criminal gangs are continually updated. The membership of criminal gangs, their operating methods, criminal interests and financial assets are likewise proactively targeted. The Garda response to this...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 550 together. I refer the Deputies to my answer to Question No. 11 of today's date.

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In March 2007 responsibility for children detention schools was transferred from the aegis of the Department of Education and Science to my Department. Children Detention Schools accept children who have been ordered to be detained as part of criminal proceedings before the Courts. The Children Detention Schools provide rehabilitative programmes of care, education and training for children...

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: My colleague, the Minister for Children, Mr. Brendan Smith T.D., recently announced the Government's decision to develop new children detention facilities on a State owned site at Oberstown, Lusk, Co. Dublin, which currently houses 3 of the 4 existing children detention schools. The new facilities, which are being developed by the Irish Youth Justice Service of my Department, will replace...

Written Answers — Criminal Assets Bureau: Criminal Assets Bureau (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy will be aware that the Criminal Assets Bureau has been at the forefront of the fight against organised crime, including drug trafficking, in this jurisdiction since its inception in 1996. The significant successes that the Bureau continues to achieve by its operations demonstrates the effectiveness of its approach in pursuing illegally gotten gains. The manner in which the Bureau...