Results 10,621-10,640 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drugs in Prisons (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that for the period 01 February 2015 to 14 May 2015, 117 searches were carried out in Mountjoy Prison. 42 seizures of drugs were made over the course of these searches. The Irish Prison Service, while loosely classifying materials seized as drugs (i.e. tablets, powder, etc.), is not in a position to state if any of these items are illegal drugs...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Security (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the prisoner in question (details supplied) was transferred to the Challenging Behaviour Unit (CBU) in Mountjoy Prison on 31 March 2015 for operational reasons. As the Deputy is aware on 23 April 2015, the prisoner carried out an unprovoked assault with a weapon on prison staff in which they received serious head and other injuries. This assault...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Vetting Applications (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) provides employment vetting to organisations registered with the Gardaí for this purpose and which employ persons in a full-time, part-time, voluntary or training capacity to positions where they would have substantial, unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults. The process in respect of Garda vetting applications is standard for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Commencement of Legislation (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 256 together. Before the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 could be commenced, a 2013 UK Court of Appeal judgment necessitated a review of the disclosure provisions in both the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 and the Spent Convictions Bill. That review has been completed and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Funding (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under the Victims of Crime Office Funding Scheme for 2015 Laois Domestic Abuse Service was granted €12,500 in funding towards the provision of a court accompaniment service for victims of domestic abuse. Since 2005 this organisation has received similar amounts in funding on an annual basis to provide court accompaniment services. Core funding for domestic violence services is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Accidents Data (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the section of the N22 referred to by the Deputy is within the Macroom District and there have been 41 fatalities on that stretch of road from 1990 to 15 May, 2015. I am also advised that data in relation to the number of serious injuries which occurred at this location is available from 2000 and 61 such injuries have been recorded since then to 15...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Firearms Licences (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can inform the Deputy that Section 3 of the Firearms Act 1925 as amended, provides that an application for a firearm certificate shall be made to the Superintendent of An Garda Síochána of the District in which the applicant resides. An application for a restricted firearm certificate is made to the Commissioner who has delegated this responsibility to members of An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Coroners Service (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Coroners Bill 2007 provides for a comprehensive reform of the Coroners Act 1962 and of the coroner system, including the establishment of a new Coroner Service. It incorporates many of the recommendations made by the Coroners Review Group in 2000, and by the Coroners Rules Committee in 2003, as well as a detailed review of reforms to coronial systems in other common-law jurisdictions...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have been informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, that the person referred to by the Deputy currently has an application pending for residency in the State on 6th May 2015 arising from their De Facto Relationship with an Irish national. Applications of this type are dealt with in chronological order and a decision will issue on their case in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Investigations (19 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: An Garda Síochána are currently investigating an incident which occurred last week in the area referred to by the Deputy. Two persons were arrested having been found in possession of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and a firearm and ammunition. One of the persons arrested has appeared before the Special Criminal Court charged with a number of offences. Garda investigations in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Misconduct Allegations (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The mechanism established for the independent review of certain allegations of Garda misconduct was an unprecedented step by this Government to bring independence and objectivity to bear on the examination of those allegations, some of which go back to 1969 and many of which pre-date 2000. A panel consisting of two senior and five junior counsel was established for this purpose with all...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Misconduct Allegations (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the Deputy's comments on wanting to get at the truth for the people concerned and to have the best process in place to examine their complaints. The complaints, in many instances, are about cases that have been in a variety of places, including before the Director of Public Prosecutions, through the courts systems or GSOC. The cases that have been referred to the process are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Policing Authority (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy's question relates to submissions received. I am making arrangements for all submissions to be published in the next couple of days. I will put all the relevant material - there is a lot of it - on the Department's website, www.justice.ie. They were taken into account in the preparation of the Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Policing Authority (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Even at present there is misunderstanding about some of the appointments. The most senior appointments are subject to an independent process at present, with a lay chairperson and two lay members of the panel. Clearly what we are doing with the new policing authority represents a sea-change on appointments. The authority will now have responsibility for overseeing the process of those...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Policing Authority (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy is getting into the detail of the Bill. No doubt, we will have a robust discussion on these issues when the Bill is brought before the House. It is extremely important that the Garda Commissioner has operational responsibility and is independent in dealing with operational issues. Obviously, a particular number of appointments come within the internal process within An Garda...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Complaints Procedures (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: By way of background, as the Deputy is well aware, prior to the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 coming into operation, whistleblowing by members of An Garda Síochána was provided for under the Garda Síochána (Confidential Reporting of Corruption or Malpractice) Regulations 2007 which provided for the appointment of an independent confidential recipient. The confidential...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Complaints Procedures (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is a serious allegation there.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Complaints Procedures (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I note the Deputy has raised allegations about these cases on at least two occasions with the Taoiseach, on 28 January and on 31 March and on both occasions the Deputy was asked to provide information in writing if he has it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Complaints Procedures (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy has made some serious allegations. There are independent processes available to members of An Garda Síochána and the Deputy is aware the Government has introduced new legislation under the Protected Disclosures Act. I have told the Deputy there is a criminal investigation under way. If there is information available, such as the Deputy has put forward in the House...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Complaints Procedures (26 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I repeat for the Deputy that the new protected disclosures legislation, which became operational in July 2014, is intended to provide precisely the sort of robust framework that is necessary and under which workers can raise concerns, and that includes members of An Garda Síochána. An Garda Síochána is committed to that and has informed all members of the force of it. In...