Results 6,661-6,680 of 18,729 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Prisoner Transfers: Prisoner Transfers (1 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not received a formal application for a transfer to this country in respect of this person from the United States authorities. An expression of interest for transfer to a prison in this country from the person referred to by the Deputy was received in my Department on 23 August 2004. In line with the convention, my Department wrote to the US...

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (1 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: The person referred to by the Deputy and her two children entered the State in January 2005 and applied for declarations of refugee status. Following consideration of their claims by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, they were refused refugee status and deportation orders were signed in respect of them on 23 November 2005. Judicial review...

Written Answers — Coroners Service: Coroners Service (1 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: I can inform the Deputy that, in so far as the question of post mortem reports requested by a coroner are concerned, it is not possible to indicate an average timeframe as a number of factors can influence this, including whether toxicological or other specialist reports are required as part of the post mortem process.

Written Answers — Prison Building Programme: Prison Building Programme (1 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: The decision to develop a much needed modern prison facility at Thornton Hall is being implemented and will not be reconsidered.

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (1 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: Since I commenced the publication of crime statistics on a quarterly basis at the beginning of 2003, I have consistently emphasised that care must be taken in interpreting the statistics, especially when considering short-term fluctuations and extrapolating trends over short periods. The level of headline crime in 2005 is lower than that for 2003 by 1.6% and is lower than that for 2002 by...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (1 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: The information as requested by the Deputy, insofar as it relates to projects funded from my Department's own Vote is as follows. As can be seen from the details supplied, these projects relate to awareness raising in respect of important public policy issues rather than the provision of public relations advice to myself in any personal capacity. Public Relations Contract...

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1, 2 and 4 together.

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: I will deal with all the issues.

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: It is absurd to state that there has been a dramatic increase in headline crime for 2005 when the level of headline crime for 2005 is 4.4% lower than the level for 2002. I did not hear the Opposition Deputies state that there was a dramatic fall in headline crime when there was a decrease of 3% recorded for 2003 and a further decrease of 4% in 2004 compared with 2003. Since I took the...

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: I welcome, however, the significant decrease of 27% in the number of incidents of robbery of cash and goods in transit, down from 62 in 2004 to 45 in 2005. This trend improved in the fourth quarter, with a decrease of 47%. Operation Delivery, an initiative undertaken by the Garda Síochána to counteract the increase in cash in transit robberies which emerged in 2004 has contributed...

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: It will arise again in Question No. 5.

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: Of course, I regard crime as serious. However, the phrases used in the questions to which I was replying, that there had been a dramatic increase and that crime was spiralling, are simply not true. Since 2000, the numbers have gone down both in absolute and relative terms. They are significantly down per head of population. I simply made that point. My second point relates to responses to...

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: Recruitment has been increased and proper provisions have been made in Templemore for this. Class sizes vary between 275 and 300 to bring us up to the 14,000 as promised. This will be delivered by the Government. The Garda Síochána Vote this year increased by 13%, at a time of 3% inflation or less. That is a significant increase in resources. This was on top of an increase last year and the...

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: I will deal with the last point first. If I was to split the Bill into different parts, we would require long Second Stage debates on each part. As the Deputy appreciates, that would guarantee no progress would be made in the lifetime of this Dáil on these important matters.

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: There are now more than 12,200 fully attested members of the Garda Síochána. This is a significant increase over the numbers ——

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: If the Deputy wants to interrupt, let the record show that when Fine Gael and the Labour Party were in Government, they allowed the numbers of gardaí to fall.

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: Let it also show that they never delivered reform to the Garda, never put in place measures to deliver a decent radio system——

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: ——never provided money for prisons and allowed the revolving door revolve so fast that 20% of prisoners were on temporary release. That is the shameful record of the rainbow coalition on law and order. I will not listen to people making specious comparisons.

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: The number of offences being committed — the Deputy made a comparison with the 2000 figures — is less than when his party was in Government——

Crime Levels. (2 Feb 2006)

Michael McDowell: ——in 1995, when we had a much smaller population.