Results 11,161-11,180 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Second Stage (3 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, they were at the gates on Wednesday night.

Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Second Stage (3 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: It was the same with speakers from this side of the House. I do not know if the Deputy listened.

Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Second Stage (3 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: No.

Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Second Stage (3 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is between €500 and €4,000, not millions.

Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Second Stage (3 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: That does not apply to this Bill.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Strength (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The personnel strength of An Garda Síochána on 31 May was 12,772. The first intake since 2009, consisting of 100 recruits, entered training in Templemore on 15 September 2014. As part of the 2015 budget, I announced a further intake of 200 recruits, and on 15 December, the first 100 of those started. The remaining 100 entered the college in February this year. The September...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Strength (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: There were about seven questions there. I will try to get through them.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Strength (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I want to see us continuing the rate of recruitment of at least 500 a year. In discussions with Templemore and the Garda Commissioner, it is very clear that this is the maximum Templemore can take per year. It has been higher in the past, but there have been issues about supervision when those recruits go out into the community and we want to do it to the highest professional standards, as...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Strength (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Perhaps we can return to it, then. I wanted to give a reply on that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Strength (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Strength (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: An open competition to fill the two vacancies at deputy commissioner level was held by the Public Appointments Service. An application for an interlocutory injunction in respect of that competition is currently being considered by the High Court. In those circumstances, the Deputy will understand that I cannot make any further comment on it. It is before the High Court. As regards the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Strength (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Not at this point.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Operations (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 30 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 provides a statutory basis for the Garda Commissioner, as Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote, to charge for the policing of certain events such as sports fixtures, concerts and festivals. I am informed by the Garda authorities that the cost to the event-holder is determined by the number of Garda personnel deployed. The operational plan...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Operations (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: An Garda Síochána is currently looking at this policy area and developing a policy document formulating in more detail how the policing at certain events should be approached. As I stated, they have charges for these major commercial public events. Being commercial, clearly, these are for profit. On the question of community events, these will take Garda time and there is a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Operations (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I suggest the best way to deal with this would be to await the policy document currently under consideration by the Garda Commissioner and senior management. There will be further refinements to the policy in that regard. If, at that point, there is still a concern, I will discuss the issue with the Garda Commissioner to see whether any change to the legislation is necessary. I do not...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Direct Provision System (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the publication of the report but do not agree with the Deputy's assessment of it. This is the first time that any Government has examined the direct provision system in 15 years. The Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and I set up the working group. All agencies working in this area were represented on it. It has made 173 recommendations. The report is broad...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Direct Provision System (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The accommodation that is used across Europe for asylum seekers varies considerably. I accept that the accommodation varies in Ireland too. There are issues for children and families in relation to accommodation. The biggest problem is the length of time that children and families are spending in the system. That was the point my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ó...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Direct Provision System (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have to say I do not accept the Deputy's characterisation of these facilities as open prisons. The children attend local primary and secondary schools, are entitled to medical services and are supported within the centres. I have some concerns. My primary concern and main effort right now is to make sure people are not in the system for lengthy periods. As the report recognises, many of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Investigations (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy has referred to the tragic death of a serving Garda member in County Donegal on 28 May 2015. Before I deal with the substance of his question, I would like to join him in expressing my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and many colleagues of the late Garda member, who have been so traumatised by this tragic death. Like the Deputy, I think it is important that I should not...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Investigations (7 Jul 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy's first question was about peer review. Once this tragic death occurred and the case came under scrutiny, GSOC immediately initiated a peer review and had taken the first steps in that. That was the right thing to do. The peer review system regarding Garda complaints is well established, whereby somebody from outside GSOC staff and from another system is brought in to conduct an...