Results 10,161-10,180 of 14,127 for speaker:David Stanton

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

David Stanton: On that last point, the period that a child sentenced to life imprisonment spends in a child detention centre does count in determining when they are eligible, but they cannot apply for parole while still a minor. There are other provisions in law that deal with the release of children. I hope this answers the point made by Senator Bacik. With regard to the proposed amendment No. 4,...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

David Stanton: I understand the underlying rationale of and good intention behind the amendment. Nevertheless, I will point out a few aspects and we might have a discussion about it thereafter. The section deals with the refusal of parole. A decision to refuse must be in writing and include reasons and a date not more than two years later than when he or she will become eligible to be reconsidered for...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

David Stanton: There is an ambiguity in that regard. It is important that legislation be certain. In the Minister's view, the management of prisoners is, and must remain, a matter for the governor of the prison and the Prison Service., although the prison governor will always take seriously the recommendations of the Parole Board. We must allow for circumstances where, through no fault of the prisoner or...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

David Stanton: Section 31 deals with the variation of a parole order. This section provides that the board can vary a parole order of its own motion or by an application by the parolee, the Probation Service, the Prison Service, An Garda Síochána, the Minister or any person that the board considers appropriate. A variation will generally be to the conditions attaching to a parole order but it...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

David Stanton: I wish to reiterate the support of the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and that of the Government for this Private Members' Parole Bill, which seeks to establish an independent parole board on a statutory footing and sets out the process to be followed by the board in making its decision. The Government decided in April 2017 to support the Bill and has worked extensively with Deputy O'Callaghan...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

David Stanton: My apologies for coming in again but it would be very remiss of me not to acknowledge the huge hard work done by the officials in my Department on this Bill and the professionalism and dedication they bring to their work, as well as the people in the Office of the Attorney General who are obviously indispensable. I wish to acknowledge that and apologise for not having said it earlier. They...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Leave (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: On 23 April, the Government announced that it had approved the priority drafting of the Parental Leave and Benefit Bill 2019.  This will facilitate new parents in spending more time with their babies during their first year.  The leave and benefit will be set at two weeks for each parent initially. The Government is committed to increasing both leave and benefit to seven...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 531 and 532 together. The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is experiencing significant upward pressure on its accommodation portfolio due to an increase in the numbers of persons claiming international protection and a growth in the percentage of protection applicants who require assistance with accommodation. In order to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Data (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: There are currently five accommodation centres under contract to my Department to provide accommodation and ancillary services in the South East region (counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford).  Details of the these are given in tabular form below. Name  Location Capacity  Atlantic House Tramore, Co. Waterford 82 Birchwood House Waterford 145...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Data (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: As of 11th August 2019, the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of the Department was accommodating 6,045 people in its 38 accommodation centres. A further 1,087 people were accommodated by RIA in emergency accommodation in hotels and guesthouses.  This figure has increased from 289 people in emergency accommodation on 31st December 2018.  The use of emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Leave (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Parental Leave Act 1998 “a ‘disability’, in relation to a child, is defined as “an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment of the child such that the level of care required for the child is substantially more than the level of care that is generally required for children of the same age who do not...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Support Services (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: I can advise the Deputy that my Department is in discussions with a number of parties regarding potential premises in a number of locations to meet our obligations to persons seeking international protection and requiring accommodation. In the first half of this year alone, we have seen a 36% annual increase in the number of applications received. Furthermore, there...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Data (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: As of 25 August 2019, 7,170 persons were residing in accommodation provided by the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA).  Of this total, there were 1,182 applicants residing in 31 Emergency Accommodation locations. Of the 1,182 applicants in emergency accommodation, 834 reside in hotels and the remaining 348 applicants reside in guest houses.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Data (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 668 and 669 together. As of 2 September 2019, 7241 people were residing in accommodation provided by the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA).  Of this total, there were 1,200 applicants residing in 31 Emergency Accommodation locations. The contractual obligation on the providers of emergency accommodation is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Data (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: On 15 August 2019, the Spending Review on Direct Provision 2019 was published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, as is the normal practice for Spending Reviews. The Review was prepared  by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) unit of my Department with key input from the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) and the Irish Naturalisation and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (6 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of the Department has considered the request from the person referred to by the Deputy and replied to him on 4th September. The Deputy may wish to note that RIA is currently providing accommodation for approximately 7,241 persons.  The composition of protection applicants requiring RIA accommodation (in terms of ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (17 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: As the Deputy will be aware, on 23 April 2019, the Government announced that it had approved the priority drafting of the Parent's Leave and Benefit Bill 2019. My officials are working with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel in the Attorney General's Office to draft the Bill. It is envisaged that legislation will provide for two weeks of parental leave and benefit for all...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Garda Resources (18 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, who sends his apologies, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I remind the House that, by law, the deployment of Garda resources is solely the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner and his management team. The Minister is assured, however, that the distribution of Garda resources is constantly...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Garda Resources (18 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: I thank the Deputy again on behalf of the Minister for raising this important matter in the House. The Deputy noted the importance of juvenile justice. As I have stated previously in the House, I am responsible for national youth justice and I am developing a new national youth justice strategy. We have pulled together an advisory group, which is doing some very interesting work and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Data (18 Sep 2019)

David Stanton: My Department is responsible for offering accommodation and related services to international protection applicants while their claim for protection is being examined. As of 8 September 2019, 7,306 persons were being provided with accommodation by my Department. Currently, there are 6,056 persons residing in the 38 accommodation centres located nationwide. As the...