Results 6,561-6,580 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Joint Policing Committees. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: One hundred and fourteen was chosen to reflect the number of local authorities in the country. Provision is made for a number of them to come together. With regard to the issue of practical successes off the top of my head I cannot state any from the 29 committees which are up and running. However, I know it has been successful in my area in that we have had interaction and complete...

Detention Centres. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Deputy Flanagan is being very negative. Perhaps he does not want it to be built at all.

Preservation of Evidence. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The case referred to by the Deputy concerns the preservation of evidence by An Garda Síochána. The judgment delivered on 31 July last sets out in detail the specific circumstances of the case and the need to ensure that evidence is available for the defence to ensure there is no risk of an unfair trial. The court reiterated the judgment given in another recent case, Savage v D.P.P., that...

Preservation of Evidence. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Obviously, I cannot guard against human error. There will always be circumstances where human error will occur. However, gardaí have a duty to preserve, to the best of their ability, exhibits for court evidence. The Garda is changing the system to bring these divisional stores into operation. There are stores in Athlone, Waterford, Templemore, Enniscorthy and Store Street and two more...

Preservation of Evidence. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: It has not been brought to my attention that there is a difficulty with storage of vehicles. When gardaí impound vehicles and take in vehicles that have been involved in road traffic accidents, they must have locations for their storage. To the best of my knowledge they are able to manage this. Indeed, I was involved in a case in Donegal in which a circus lorry was retained for a...

Preservation of Evidence. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I am conscious of the difficulties in this regard.

Aircraft Search and Inspection. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The programme for Government contains a number of commitments relating to extraordinary rendition and states unequivocally that the Government is opposed to the practice of extraordinary rendition. In particular, the programme commits the Government to encouraging and supporting An Garda Síochána in the investigation and enforcement of the Criminal Justice (United Nations Convention...

Aircraft Search and Inspection. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I cannot answer for Deputy Cuffe.

Aircraft Search and Inspection. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy should ask Deputy Cuffe about what he had to say on this issue. There is a commitment in the programme for Government with regard to training the Garda Síochána, and I have raised it with the Garda Commissioner on a number of occasions. At the newly formed Cabinet committee it was agreed that we would re-examine the legislation, particularly the air navigation Acts and the...

Aircraft Search and Inspection. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy referred to random checks. The Garda cannot check any property, and if it did, it could leave itself open to a claim for damages from the property owner. The Garda can only search a property if it can establish a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed, or if there is a bench warrant. Powers are granted to authorised officers under the Air Navigation Acts to board...

Aircraft Search and Inspection. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: What was the first question?

Aircraft Search and Inspection. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Ultimately, it is a matter for the Garda and the DPP to decide what constitutes a reasonable doubt and whether a crime was committed. Any claim must then stand up in court. To be fair to Deputy Cuffe and others, it is suggested there have been incidents involving several notorious planes which have travelled across the world. There may be some scope in future — I say this by way of...

Aircraft Search and Inspection. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: It is a fact.

Aircraft Search and Inspection. (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I will answer by stating exactly the decision of the subcommittee. The matter is ongoing. The subcommittee granted the Minister for Foreign Affairs the authority to contact the new administration, as I did several years ago when I held that portfolio. I was the first Minister in the European Union to call for the closure of Guantanamo Bay. I was the first Minister to demand from the USA...

Written Answers — Prison Visiting Committees: Prison Visiting Committees (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: A Visiting Committee is appointed to each prison under the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act, 1925 and Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order, 1925. Members of Committees are appointed by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for a term not exceeding three years. A Committee should have a minimum of 6 members and a maximum of 12 members. The function of Visiting Committees is to...

Written Answers — Drug Seizures: Drug Seizures (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 16 together. I set out below tables provided by the Garda Authorities which show the quantities and estimates the street value of the most significant drugs analysed by the Forensic Science Laboratory for 2007 and provisional figures for 2008. In relation to statistics for convictions, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Central Statistics...

Written Answers — Prison Violence: Prison Violence (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: While the prison regime is designed to limit the scope for acts of violence, it is simply impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of such acts in prisons holding a high proportion of violent offenders without introducing a "lock-down" regime that would be unacceptable in human rights terms. The growth of organised criminal gangs outside prison has had obvious consequences within...

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Over the last 12 months the numbers of persons in custody has increased by 10% and the total number of persons serving sentences has increased by 14%. This indicates the effectiveness of this Government's policy of providing additional resources to the Gardaí and the Courts as well as the effectiveness of the substantive body of new criminal law enacted in recent years. I am committed to...

Written Answers — Civil Unions: Civil Unions (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy will be aware that my proposals, in the form of heads of a Civil Partnership Bill, were published on 24 June 2008 following the approval of the Government. Formal drafting of the Bill by Parliamentary Counsel is now well advanced and I can confirm, in line with the indication in the Government Legislation Programme as announced on 23 September 2008, that the Bill is expected to be...

Written Answers — Asylum Applications: Asylum Applications (13 Nov 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Immigration Act 2003, contained a number of key changes to the Refugee Act, 1996 which enabled the processing of asylum applications to be speeded up and enhanced the state's ability to deal with abusive applications. These changes included the imposition on applicants of a clear statutory duty to actively pursue their asylum applications and co-operate at all times with the processing...