Results 9,101-9,120 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Deputy Clare Daly has referred to section 9 which includes new provisions that underpin the requirement on An Garda Commissioner to provide information for GSOC. It inserts a new section, section 103A, into the Garda Síochána Act, placing a statutory obligation on the Commissioner to provide GSOC with information as soon as practicable. I took the advice of the Attorney General on...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 7 of the Bill inserts a new section 102B into the 2005 Act which, for the first time, brings the Garda Commissioner within the scope of GSOC investigations. This is a significant and important development to which the Government attaches a great deal of importance. Far from the interpretation being given here, it is a significant provision which strengthens the powers of GSOC in...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 14:In page 4, line 18, after "Minister" to insert "given with the approval of the Government".

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 16:In page 4, to delete lines 23 to 27 and substitute the following:“(2) The Minister may, with the approval of the Government and if he or she considers it desirable in the public interest to do so, request the Ombudsman Commission to investigate any matter that gives rise to a concern that the Garda Commissioner may have done anything referred to in subsection...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 17:In page 4, to delete lines 28 to 30 and substitute the following:“(3) The Minister may, with the approval of the Government, for stated reasons refuse to consent to an investigation by the Ombudsman Commission of any matter under subsection (2).”.

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is a very basic problem with the amendments tabled and it will become obvious when I explain it. I am unable to accept the amendments because the Deputies are trying to give certain responsibilities to the proposed policing authority, a body that has not yet been established. How could the House agree to assign responsibilities in advance of a body being set up? That clearly cannot...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I do not have any further comments to make, save to say it is not possible for me to accept in a legislative sense the assignment of responsibilities to a body that does not exist at this point.

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: We discussed certain elements of this amendment earlier. We are sending a strong message by imposing on the Garda Commissioner a statutory obligation to provide information. This is an important step. As Deputies Mick Wallace and Clare Daly acknowledged, it is right to underpin in law the obligation to make information available. The purpose of the new section 103A which is being inserted...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The best thing to do is to keep the matter under review. If I were to include in the section a time limit of six months or one year, that period would become the norm. I understand the average period for producing information is shorter than six months. I suggest we keep the position on timeframes under review.

Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will consider the Deputy's suggestion.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: One of the primary functions of the Garda Commissioner under the Garda Síochána Acts, is to direct and control An Garda Síochána. The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Staff (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: In common with all other civil servants, Prison Administration and Support Officer (PASO) grades may compete for vacancies in the Civil Service through open competition or through confined interdepartmental competition, and would, therefore, be eligible to fill vacancies in my Department that fall to be filed from such competitions. The PASO grades are staff of the Irish Prison Service and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Promotions (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 and 200 together. Promotions in the Garda Síochána to all ranks from Sergeant to Assistant Commissioner are covered by the Garda Síochána Promotion Regulations of 2006. Regulation 3 provides that: (1) The selection of members for promotion in competitions held under these Regulations shall be based on merit and the readiness and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have brought the Deputy's question to the attention of the Garda authorities for their observations and will contact him again when I have a response. I can, however, inform him that a range of data is recorded concerning persons who are detected driving without a licence. This data includes the number of fixed charge notices issued in respect of persons detected for the offence of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel, including the Traffic Corps, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. The Deputy will...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Insolvency Service of Ireland Data (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy is aware, the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) began accepting cases in September 2013. The ISI releases its statistics on a quarterly basis and the most up to date figures reflecting Quarter 4 of 2014 were published recently to their website . 2014 was the ISI’s first full year of operation and during that time almost 1000 debt solutions were approved, comprising...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I assume the Deputy is referring to the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) option to the Immigrant Investor Programme which was introduced in Budget 2014. This is a demand led scheme and to date, there have been no applications for the REIT option.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service that the situation remains the same as my reply to the Deputy on 20 November 2014. The person in question is subject to the immigration regime for full time non-EEA students which was published in September 2010 and has been in effect since 1 January 2011. As such they do not qualify for Stamp 4 status. A letter to this...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the persons concerned comprise a family of four, made up of two parents and their two minor children. The cases of the mother and one of the children are at the Section 3/Leave to Remain stage, the case file of the father will also be at that stage in the near future, once a 'three options letter'...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (5 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation has been received from the person referred to by the Deputy, who currently has permission to reside in the State until 31 December, 2015. As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege...