Results 7,441-7,460 of 18,729 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (9 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I would refer the Deputy to my replies to Questions Nos. 726 and 781 of 26 January 2005, No. 129 of 14 April 2005, No. 143 of 19 May 2005 and No. 470 of 31 January 2006. The person concerned applied for asylum and had her claim refused following the independent examination of her claims by the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, by the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. The person...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (9 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: The person in question arrived in the State on 19 December 1999 and claimed asylum. He withdrew his application for refugee status on 17 April 2000 and applied for residency in the State based on his parentage of an Irish born child. Permission to remain on this basis was initially granted to the person in question on 13 September 2000. This permission was renewed on a number of occasions....

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (9 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: Offending behaviour by children including petty crime is a serious matter and improving the State's response to this problem is a priority within my Department. I have recently established a dedicated section to address issues of youth offending. In October 2004, an internal project team was established within my Department to examine the scope for rationalising and restructuring the delivery...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (9 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that while the number of seizures of freebase or crack cocaine continues to represent a very small proportion of the total number of cocaine seizures recorded annually, there has been an increase in the number of such seizures in this jurisdiction over the past three years. This is a matter of concern and the Garda authorities have taken a number of...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (9 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, provides that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation provided certain statutory conditions are fulfilled. Those conditions are that the applicant must be of full age, or by way of exception, be a minor born in the State; be of good...

Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I withdraw the remark.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: The most recent report from the decentralisation implementation group, which issued in June 2005, gives the indicative date for the completion of the Land Registry building in Roscommon as mid-2009. The Office of Public Works has informed me that it has agreed terms on a suitable site and the contract for sale is with the Office of the Chief State Solicitor for processing. As with all the...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 323 of 22 February 2006. I have nothing further to add to that reply.

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 596 and 621 together. The national women's strategy that is now being developed builds upon the national plan for women, which was published in 2002. When completed, the broadly-based strategy will include objectives and actions which further advance the progress already made by women towards greater gender equality in many sectors, such as increased labour...

Written Answers — Legal Aid Service: Legal Aid Service (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 597 and 598 together. I am informed by the Legal Aid Board that it is open to an individual to apply to one of the board's law centres for legal services in respect of wardship proceedings, which are covered by the Civil Legal Aid Act 1985, subject to a means test. Under the terms of this Act, legal services are not available to an institution such as the...

Written Answers — Registration of Title: Registration of Title (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have requested the Land Registry to contact the Deputy directly concerning the current position of the application in question.

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was received in the citizenship section of my Department on 30 June 2004. The average processing time for such applications is 24 months at the present time. It is likely, therefore, that the application of the person concerned will be finalised in or around June of this year. I will advise the Deputy...

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: It has not been possible within the timeframe involved to collate the information required by the Deputy. I will contact the Deputy directly when the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Land Registry: Land Registry (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that there has been significant investment in electronic access services in the Land Registry in recent years and that this has made an important contribution to enhanced productivity and customer service. In particular, as a result of a major programme of computerisation between 2001 and 2004, all folios and maps of individual registered land parcels, known...

Written Answers — Garda Research: Garda Research (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the study was included as a policy review in the Garda Policing Plan 2004. The main element of the study was a survey of over 2,000 second level students in two Garda regions, the Dublin metropolitan region and the eastern region. It was supplemented by focus group discussions with hard-to-reach groups under the auspices of the Irish Society for the...

Written Answers — Registration of Title: Registration of Title (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have requested the Land Registry to contact the Deputy directly concerning the current position of the application in question.

Written Answers — Public Service Appointments: Public Service Appointments (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Garda station at Shannon Airport has its fully sanctioned complement of clerical staff. While staffing levels are kept under constant review, any increase can only be facilitated within the confines of the Government decision of December 2002 which placed a cap on numbers across the civil and public service.

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I presume that the Deputy is referring to the Carlow-Kildare division. I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the personnel strength, all ranks, of the Garda Síochána as at 31 December 1997 and 20 March 2006 was 10,702 and 12,445, respectively. This represents an increase of 1,743, or 16.3%, in...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Garda authorities inform me that the accompanying table provides the total number of headline offences, by group, recorded and detected in the Garda division of Cork city for the years 2000 to 2005 inclusive. The introduction of the PULSE computer system by the Garda Síochána in 1999 has led to more complete and comprehensive recording of crimes reported than was previously the case....

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (21 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 608 and 616 together. The Garda authorities inform me that figures are not compiled in such a way as to distinguish between proceedings commenced for violations of the regulations in respect of the fitting of speed limitation devices on buses over 10,000 kg and heavy goods vehicles over 12,000 kg. However, the numbers of cases in which proceedings commenced...