Results 7,781-7,800 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Public Order Offences: Public Order Offences (24 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: The Garda Síochána Act 2005 makes provision for the compilation and publication of crime statistics by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose. I have requested the CSO to provide the statistics sought by the Deputy directly to him.

Written Answers — Policing Committees: Policing Committees (24 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: In September 2008, I made, with the approval of the Ministers for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, and Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, amended guidelines which provide for the establishment of a joint policing committee in each local authority area where there is not yet a committee established. The Garda Síochána Act 2005 provides for the establishment of local policing...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: There are currently 8 retired civil servants in receipt of a Civil Service pension whose services are currently retained by my Department. In 2008, the payments to these individuals ranged from €7,534 to €59,583 and the total amount was €266,023. All of the individuals concerned are paid in accordance with the provisions of the Pensions (Abatement) Act, 1965 whereby the amount paid in...

Leaders' Questions (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: Hear, hear.

Leaders' Questions (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: Come up with €1.4 billion.

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 39 together. The following tabular statement provides the latest available information on drug seizures for 2007 and 2008. It shows seizures of a total of €167.5 million in 2007 and in excess of €200 million in 2008. Given the covert nature of the activity, it is not possible to give a reliable estimate of the proportion of drugs coming into the...

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: I accept the drugs issue is a significant problem in the country. The Deputy suggested that because there is a dramatic increase in drug offences brought to court amounting to 25% year on year, there is an increased problem. Nevertheless, the Deputy should commend the Garda, the Navy, the Revenue and the Customs and Excise which has primary responsibility in this regard for the job well...

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy made a political charge relating to Garda overtime. The fact is the Government will oversee an increase in the number of gardaí this year from 14,200 at the beginning of the year to 14,900 at the end of the year. In effect, by the end of 2009 we will reach the level of Garda numbers that the Deputy, in his famous endless contract, promised in the general election in 2007.

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: In the general election of 2007 the Deputy said that he would reach the level of 15,000 by 2012. We will reach that level three years earlier so he need not make political charges in that regard.

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: I refer again to the point in respect of increased activities by the Garda and the increased success in respect of prosecutions brought. Let us extend the logic in the argument of the Deputy to its conclusion. The implication is that the greater the number of successful offences charged and convicted, the greater the problem. However, the fact is——

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: According to the Deputy's logic if there were no seizures and no offences there would be no drugs in the country. That is not the case.

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy makes political charges relating to it. The reality is the Deputy's leader called for more cutbacks today.

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: We are putting extra gardaí into the system to prosecute these offences.

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to the position in respect of increased resources. There will be extra dog units available to the Revenue Commissioners and to the Customs and Excise. There will be an increase of 379 gardaí entering divisional drugs units, representing a dramatic increase from recent years. These are new initiatives. A greater number of dog detection teams will be provided. Extra...

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: We all abhor such incidents. That is why we are and have been beefing up our enforcement agencies.

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: Our record is second to none. Instead of criticising the level of resources the Deputy should encourage——

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy should commend the Garda and the agencies involved for being more successful than ever before in making seizures. The figures speak for themselves, even though the Deputy tries to twist them to show that the situation is getting worse. With enforcement——

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: With proper resources, enforcement is getting better. That is not the entire——

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: One cannot gauge the success or otherwise of the fight on drugs purely and simply by enforcement. We have to do away with the demand also.

Drug Seizures. (25 Feb 2009)

Dermot Ahern: I do not accept that. The good relationship has been clearly demonstrated by the ever increasing level of resources used, until this year, in the implementation of the old national drug strategy. The Minister of State with responsibility for the strategy, Deputy Curran, can supply the figures separately. They speak for themselves. It is not the case that the 10% seizure rate equates to...