Results 8,441-8,460 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Community Policing (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 24 together. Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána. It provides a means of recognising that every community – both urban and rural – has its own concerns and expectations. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the Garda National Model of Community Policing plays a key part in responding to crime...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Operations (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána and will contact the Deputy directly on receipt of a Garda report in relation to these statistics. While An Garda Síochána has been testing Irish drivers for drugs, with the assistance of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS), since 1999, the Deputy will be aware that my colleague, the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Resettlement Programme (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy is aware, the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), allows for Syrians and other eligible nationalities to benefit from resettlement and relocation schemes, and offers them protection status in Ireland in their own right including all the rights and privileges that that entails. Family reunification entitlements for those granted International Protection in Ireland are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Data (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was established by Government Decision on 10 September 2015 as a direct response to the humanitarian crisis that developed in Southern Europe as a consequence of mass migration from areas of conflict in the Middle East and Africa. Under this programme, the Government has pledged to accept a total of 4,000 persons into the State, 2,622 through the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 44 together. I should say at the outset that the distribution of Gardaí is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner. I can say however that this Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ministerial Meetings (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I can inform the Deputy that I met with the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd MP, last Wednesday 11 October, in London. We were joined at the meeting by Justice Secretary, David Lidington MP, and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire MP. Our discussions focused on the ongoing cooperation between Ireland and the United Kingdom on criminal justice, immigration, security and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Protection (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will wish to know that under the current law on access to certain communications data that is retained by communications service providers access to this data is available only to An Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners, the Permanent Defence Forces, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and the Competition and Consumer Protection Authority. The law...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Safety Strategy (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: A new contract for the provision and operation of the safety camera network on Irish roads was concluded on 17 August 2016. The contract for the safety camera service, which was awarded following a public procurement competition, is with Road Safety Operations Ireland, trading as GoSafe. The new safety camera contract is an agreement between the Minister for Justice and Equality, the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda College (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Public Accounts Committee published a report of its examination of matters in relation to financial procedures at the Garda College, Templemore on 18 July last. It follows from the Interim Audit Report prepared by the Garda Internal Audit Section of An Garda Síochána and published by the Garda Commissioner last March. The PAC report makes a number of findings and recommendations...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (19 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: Asylum Support Services (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Report of the Working Group to Report to Government on Improvements to the Protection Process, including Direct Provision and Supports to Asylum Seekers,also known as the Justice McMahon report, was published in June 2015. Its recommendations have implications for a number of Government Departments and services. My Department has since published three itemised progress reports on the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Magdalen Laundries Data (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: To date awards totalling almost €25.7 million have been paid out to 682 women under the Ex Gratia Magdalene Restorative Justice Scheme administered by my Department. 166 of these are in respect of women who are resident outside the State and I expect 4 others to receive their payments in the coming weeks, bringing this to a total of 170. As the Deputy is aware, the women are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drugs in Prisons (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by my officials that the Irish Prison Service policy ‘Keeping Drugs out of Prison’ was introduced in 2006 to address many aspects of drug use in prison, including measures to reduce the use of illegal drugs in the prison setting. In 2008, the Operational Support Group was established which received resources and investment in order to implement the key...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Policing Authority Reports (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware there is an extensive programme of reform underway affecting all aspects of the administration and operation of An Garda Síochána. This follows the Government's approval in July 2016 of a Five Year Reform and High Level Workforce Plan for An Garda Síochána which combines the Government’s response to the Garda Inspectorate report 'Changing...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 41 together. Successive Ministers have informed the House that there are no plans to introduce a general regularisation scheme for those who are currently illegally resident in the State. Any such proposals could give rise to any number of unpredictable and potentially very costly impacts across the full range of public and social services. In...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Youth Justice Strategy (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware the statutory framework relating to young offenders and the Garda Diversion Programme is set out in the Children Act 2001. The Act essentially provides that a young person who is responsible for committing a crime shall be considered for admission to the Programme. The Diversion Programme has been very successful in its primary purpose of diverting young offenders...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (19 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: Court Procedures (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy may be aware, a Group to review the administration of civil justice in the State, chaired by the President of the High Court Mr Justice Peter Kelly, was established recently. Membership, reporting structures and the remit of the Group are in the process of being finalised and the first meeting of the Group is scheduled for 9 November 2017. The Group is to report to me within...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware the statutory framework relating to young offenders and the Garda Diversion Programme is set out in the Children Act 2001. The Act essentially provides that a young person who is responsible for committing a crime shall be considered for admission to the Programme. The Diversion Programme has been very successful in its primary purpose of diverting young offenders...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: European Security Strategy (19 Oct 2017)

Charles Flanagan: A proposal to establish a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) with similar objectives to the US 'ESTA' system was put forward by the European Commission on 16 November 2016. The proposal builds upon the measures in the Schengen acquis that concern the crossing of borders and in which Ireland and the UK do not participate. Therefore, Ireland (along with the UK) is...