Results 8,261-8,280 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigrant Investor Programme Administration (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I have been advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service of my Department that enquiries were made to officials in the Immigrant Investor Programme Unit in relation to the project referred to by the Deputy. However, the project was not submitted to the Evaluation Committee based on the advices given.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigrant Investor Programme Administration (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service of my Department that the purpose of the Immigrant Investor programme is to incentivise investment in Ireland by high net worth non-EEA nationals. As part of the investment, the non-national receives a specific immigration permission. There is no contractual relationship between my Department and individual developers or...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigrant Investor Programme Administration (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I have been advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service of my Department that no representations by members of the Government in support of projects submitted under the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) have been received in each of the past 3 years.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Status Applications (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will be aware that Ireland is a signatory to the United Nations 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. As such, Ireland is bound by international law to provide international protection to refugees and it is an obligation taken very seriously by Government. In the International Protection Act 2015, a refugee is defined as ‘a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Reserve (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 204 together. This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Probation and Welfare Service (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Probate Office is an office of the High Court and management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998. Probate functions are also carried out by County Registrars at District Probate Registries in 14 provincial court offices. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for carrying on and managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including the arranging of competitions at the ranks of Garda, Sergeant and Inspector, and I as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.  As part of its Five Year...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Transfers (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: On 12 July, 2016, the Supreme Court dismissed the State's appeal in the case known as 'O'Farrell, McDonald, Rafferty -v- The Governor of Portlaoise Prison'. The case concerns an appeal taken by the State against a judgement of the High Court ordering the release of the three named prisoners who had been transferred to Ireland from the UK where they had been sentenced, under the provisions of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Commencement of Legislation (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Under Part 12 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 there is to be a new Advisory Committee on the Grant of Patents of Precedence that will be established by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority. As well as receiving and considering relevant applications, the Committee will recommend legal practitioners, that is to say solicitors or barristers, it considers suitable to use the title...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service Administration (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions. Furthermore, the scheduling of court cases and the allocation of court business is a matter the President of the District Court and the presiding judge who are, under the constitution,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service Remit (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy is aware, the High Court has jurisdiction in wards of court matters and management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998. In order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that when a person is taken into...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Stations (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of Garda resources in the State and, as Minister, I have no role in relation to these matters. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Síochána District and Station Rationalisation Programme gave rise to the closure of some 139 Garda stations in 2012 and 2013, including Garda stations in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Vetting (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012-2016 provides for a range of offences and sanctions for non-compliance with the Act. In addition, the Act provides for the assigning of compliance officers with the specific powers to enter and inspect premises to ensure compliance. I am informed by the Garda Authorities that at present all compliance issues...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reports (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: On 3 October 2017 I published the report of Mr. Justice John L. Murray’s Review of the Law on Retention of and Access to Communications Data. The report is available on my Department's website. While the Review was initially commissioned to look at issues concerning access by statutory bodies to communications data of journalists held by communications service providers, Mr. Justice...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ministerial Functions (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: In accordance with the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) (No.2) Act 1977, the Government may delegate, by way of an Order, to a Minister of State any of the powers and duties of the relevant Minister of the Government under any particular Act or any particular statutory power or duty. Such orders can be made in cases where a Minister of State would be expected to carry out statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Alcohol Sales Legislation (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The position is that the Intoxicating Liquor (Breweries and Distilleries) Bill 2016 is a Private Members Bill tabled by Deputy Alan Kelly. The Bill completed Second Stage in the Dáil on the 26 July and is currently awaiting Committee Stage in the Justice and Equality Committee. I intend to table a series of amendments to the Bill at Committee Stage. As already indicated during...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I can inform the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service's recruitment of retired Prison Officers on short term contracts is a short term measure pending the sufficient recruitment of permanent Prison Officers. Recruitment of permanent Prison Officers is on-going with approximately 87 new Recruit Prison Officers this year and a further 288 Recruit Prison Officers in 2018.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Stations (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to An Garda Síochána.  Gleann Cholm Cille was among a number of stations closed around the country in recent years because of the emphasis on ensuring front line Gardaí could be managed and deployed with greater mobility,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Protection Commissioner (10 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will be aware that the Government has publicly committed to continuing to provide the resources necessary for the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) to perform its globally significant role, which will become increasingly prominent under the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This commitment was reflected in the ODPC's very significantly increased...