Results 5,801-5,820 of 7,126 for speaker:Alan Farrell

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I have just a couple of comments. Then I will let Deputy Ó Ríordáin in. On the point Deputy Kenny quite rightly made about support services, I am looking at these subheads. The budget for buildings and equipment is reduced by 5%, but prisoner services are marked here in the subhead I am looking at as having a budgetary reduction of 6.68%. Key to understanding why that is...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: Can the Minister inform me, to the best of his knowledge, whether Thornton Hall is owned by his Department?

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: Does his Department own it rather than the OPW?

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: We will now discuss Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised).

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I agree with Deputy Daly. Is there a benchmark that the Department uses for judicial numbers? Deputy Daly referenced some comparisons with our European partners. Are those taken into consideration? I wish to focus on the €2.5 million for future-proofing judicial supports that the Minister mentioned in his contribution. Notwithstanding future recruitment plans, is this funding...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: Deputy Smyth firmly opened up the door on local issues and Deputy Daly has run through it.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: We shall now move on to Vote 24 - Justice.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Deputy. As to my own thoughts on the justice Vote, obviously, I am very pleased to see not only the funding but the emphasis put on the domestic violence sector and the gender-based violence strategy. Does the Department envisage legislation to enable the creation of an agency and when is that expected? I am aware of the funding is there. I very much welcome the Minister of...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: They were working in the criminal area in the Criminal Courts of Justice, CCJ. I got talking to one particular barrister who was awaiting a case for mention. It would have been a matter of asking what was being done next in the case and it would have taken two or three minutes. The rate for that for this barrister, who I did not know, was €29 but that person was there for the entire...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Minister. We will move on to Vote 41, which deals with the Policing Authority. As no members are indicating, we will proceed to Vote 44, concerning the Data Protection Commission.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I thank Deputy Kenny very much. He must have been reading my notes.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I wanted to raise the very issue he has raised about the decision of the Commission against the Data Protection Commission decisions. Some quite concerning remarks were made in the judgment on which the committee probably needs a little bit more discussion. I am a member of the committee since September and I do not recall it being discussed, although I might be incorrect on that. As a...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Minister very much. I appreciate the time he has taken to go through the various Votes with the committee. I also thank the Minister's officials for their attendance this afternoon. We will suspend proceedings and move into private session. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Message to Dáil (14 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: In accordance with Standing Order 101, the following message will be sent to the Dáil: The Select Committee on Justice has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimates for public services for the year ending 31 December 2023: Votes 20, 21, 22, 24, 41 and 44 - Department of Justice.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (16 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: Good morning Chair, can you hear me okay?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (16 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I thank the Minister for coming before us. Many of the questions I was poised to ask have been covered. However, I want to pivot back to the national grid and energy generation, renewable electricity and the commitment to hit our target of 100% renewable electricity in the domestic market for 2030 and the constraints that are present in that ambition. Specifically, for offshore wind, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (16 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: Are there concrete plans across Departments actually to invest that level of money in our port infrastructure? Who is responsible for it? Is it some sort of arrangement with a third party?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (16 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: The Minister understands that the only port on the island that is currently capable of any level of support for the delivery of offshore wind is Belfast, and while that is not necessarily a bad thing for the all-Ireland economy, clearly, the State needs to put up money in order to deliver this, given it is a national ambition. The Minister says the plans are advanced and I very much look...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (16 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: I have a final question in regard to offshore wind before I move on to forestry. I have a concern, having spoken to a number of potential providers of offshore about the sites they have been granted versus the ones that will be coming up in the future. I believe the competition for those sites may be problematic in terms of the ability of the firms to deliver, which impacts the viability of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Discussion (16 Feb 2023)

Alan Farrell: There are two final points that I want to make. One is in regard to forestry, in particular our targets versus the reality that we are facing, notwithstanding any improvements that have been made towards the latter end of 2022. The figures I have going back to 2016 show a dramatic reduction in afforestation targets. My understanding is that in 2021, we were at 25% of our target, and I do...