Results 9,221-9,240 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 291 and 294 together. The current position is that the Bill has passed Committee Stage in the Dáil, having passed all stages in the Seanad. However, before the Bill could be taken at Report Stage, a 2013 UK Court of Appeal judgment necessitated a review of the disclosure provisions in both the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons)...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Witness Protection Programme (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The expenditure from the Witness Security Programme subhead for the years 2010 - 2014 is set out in the table below. Year Outturn 2010 €0.700m 2011 €0.700m 2012 *Nil 2013 €1.150m 2014 **€1.210m Provisional outturn* Expenses in relation to 2012 are reflected in outturn for 2013. ** The final outturn for 2014 will only be available when the Comptroller and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Suicides (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Since 2005 there have been 86 deaths in custody in prisons. 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 9 12 7 11 10 11 6 5 7 8 Of the 86 deaths since 2005, 15 have been determined as death by suicide. Since 1 January, 2012, the death of any prisoner in custody or on temporary release is the subject of an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons. The Office of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I refer the Deputy to the Reply given to his recent Parliamentary Question No. 109 of Thursday, 29th January 2015. The status of the person concerned is as set out in that reply.I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person referred to is the subject of a Deportation Order and therefore has no entitlement to residency in the State....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: In my response to Parliamentary Question No.105 of 29 January 2015 I set out the Department's policy in relation to providing information on individual applications for asylum or subsidiary protection. As regards the processing of subsidiary protection applications generally, the following information may be of interest to the Deputy. Responsibility for the processing of subsidiary...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: In my response to Parliamentary Question No.105 of 29 January 2015 I set out the Department's policy in relation to providing information on individual applications for asylum or subsidiary protection. It should be noted that in very many instances the delay in finalising cases is due to applicants initiating judicial review proceedings at various stages of the process. The length of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I refer the Deputy to the Reply given to his recent Parliamentary Question No. 101 of Thursday, 29th January 2015. The status of the person concerned is as set out in that reply.I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that following a comprehensive and thorough examination of the asylum claim and application for subsidiary protection, and a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised that an application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was received in the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) in August, 2005 and in 2009 the then Minister for Justice decided in his absolute discretion to refuse the application. The person concerned was informed of this and the reasons for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (17 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 resources, including personnel and vehicles, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keeps this distribution under continuing review in the context of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel and vehicles, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keeps 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. I have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Magdalen Laundries Report (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government is committed to full implementation of the Quirke Report. Significant progress has been made on the implementation of the Magdalen Redress Scheme. To date, a decision has been made on 87% of the applications received and 503 applicants have been paid their lump sums at a cost of nearly €18.5m. Judge Quirke recommended that the women should have access to an enhanced...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Remuneration (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 303, 312 and 313 together. The current Garda recruit competition commenced in late 2013 and attracted over 20,000 applications. Details of the remuneration package, i.e. basic pay and other allowances including unsocial hours allowances, were made available to all applicants prior to their recruitment. These pay scales do not include any allowances. It...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Investigations (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The allocation of all Garda resources is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. In that context, I am advised by the Garda authorities that Garda personnel may be assigned to several investigations in response to operational requirements and, accordingly, it is not possible to provide costs associated with the investigation of specific incidents.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Further to my response of 18 December, I wish to inform the Deputy that it remains my intention to publish this Regulatory Impact Assessment for consultation in the early part of this year.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Liquor Licensing Laws (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The position is that statutory restrictions on the sale of alcohol on Good Friday, which have historical origins, will be examined in the context of the forthcoming Sale of Alcohol Bill. This Bill will update the law relating to the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol in licensed premises and will provide an opportunity for reviewing statutory restrictions on alcohol sales. The Bill...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Stardust Fire (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I met with the Stardust Relatives' and Victims Committee in July of last year and this meeting provided an opportunity for me to hear their concerns at first hand. At that meeting representatives of the Committee set out, in some detail, their concerns in relation to the Inquiries into this matter that have been undertaken previously and some related financial issues that have arisen. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Stardust Fire (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, following a long campaign on the part of the victims, Mr. Paul Coffey SC was appointed in 2008 by the then Government, with the agreement of the Victims Committee, to review the case made by the Committee for a new inquiry into the fire. His report was published in January 2009. He concluded that the original Tribunal finding of arson was a hypothetical one only...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Vetting of Personnel (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the average processing time for vetting applications since February 2014 is approximately 4 weeks from date of receipt. This compares to an average of 9 weeks to process cases in 2013. In the interest of fairness, Garda vetting applications are processed in chronological order based on the date of receipt in the Garda Central Vetting Unit and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Levels (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can assure the Deputy that I am very conscious of the concerns which exist in relation to burglary and am working closely with the Garda Commissioner and other relevant criminal justice agencies to ensure that an effective, whole of system response is in place. It is the case that, having fallen in 2013, an increase in the number of burglary offences was recorded during 2014, driven...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Issues Relating to Gambling Sector (17 Feb 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can inform the Deputy that officials in my Department have met with the individual in question on a number of occasions in recent years. My officials have met, and continue to meet, individuals and organisations representing a wide range of interests in the gaming and gambling areas. My officials remain open to meeting with the individual in question on further occasions, as circumstances...