Results 11,321-11,340 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Army Equipment (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am satisfied that the level of resources available to the Defence Forces, including equipment and training resources, enables the Defence Forces to carry out their roles both at home and overseas. The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces remains a focus for me as Minister for Defence. However, it is imperative that the Department and the Defence Forces, similar to all other...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Army Reserve Training (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The central recommendation from the Value for Money Review of the Reserve Defence Force was for the retention of the Reserve with 4,000 personnel spread countrywide to be based in barracks and in 16 other locations. This requires the consolidation of existing Reserve Units throughout the country into a smaller number of full-strength Units. A new “Single Force” concept will...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Strength (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The strength of the Permanent Defence Force at the end of October 2012, the latest date for which figures are available stood at 9,152, of which 573 (6.26%) are women. Comparative figures at the end of 2007 show a strength of 10,434 of which 560 (5.37%) were female. The attached table contains the strength, broken down into Army, Naval Service and Air Corps by gender and rank groupings for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The UN reimburses some personnel and Contingent Owned Equipment costs in respect of contributions of personnel to UN led operations. Rates of reimbursement, fixed in accordance with UN categories of equipment and personnel, are agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ireland and the UN for each mission. The only mission for which Ireland is currently entitled to reimbursement of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff Remuneration (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: My Department is not using temporary promotions or acting ups to manage staffing arrangements for the EU Presidency. Hence, my Department did not seek sanction in this regard from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: While I understand the intent behind the amendments I am unable to accept them. If accepted, these amendments would contravene the provisions in the Bill that exempt private arrangements from vetting. Furthermore, the amendments would require vetting of persons who provide any level of childminding for any period of time. This is simply not practical. The Child Care (Pre-School Services)...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: While I understand the intent behind the amendments I am unable to accept them. If accepted, these amendments would contravene the provisions in the Bill that exempt private arrangements from vetting. Furthermore, the amendments would require vetting of persons who provide any level of childminding for any period of time. This is simply not practical. The Child Care (Pre-School Services)...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The relevant organisations are referenced in section 2, I believe. I do not want to delay the House by reading through them. Schedule 1 also details a range of things. Legislation in this area has been promised for years - I do not say this to score a political point. Legislation in this area is complex and has been promised since 2003. When I was a member of the Oireachtas Joint...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The answer is it does not. If one looks at the classic situations in which carer's allowance is paid, it is often paid, for example, to a mother or father who is caring for a child who has a serious disability. It could be paid to an individual who is caring for another individual, who may be elderly and unwell, and may be suffering from dementia. The person may be caring for an individual...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: If home help is provided through an agency or the HSE and the person is working with a vulnerable adult or in contact with children there will be vetting. If I decided to recruit a home help on a private basis to cook my meals every evening, on the assumption I am neither a child nor a vulnerable adult vetting would have no particular role. It would be a private arrangement and not done...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Unfortunately I am unable to accept amendment No. 3 for a number of reasons. It should be borne in mind that section 15 also provides that any specified information can only be disclosed where it is relevant and proportionate and where the rights of the person have been taken into account in a manner consistent with fairness and natural justice. The amendment would require unnecessary...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: A data protection code of practice for An Garda Síochána is already in place and will be applicable in these circumstances. I am conscious of the time available to us. The code of practice runs to in the region of 20 pages and I would be happy to read it into the record of the House but it would probably get us to the end of the allocated time for the debate. The Data Protection...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am afraid that I am unable to accept the amendment. This is because, as I explained on Second Stage, the spent convictions Bill provides that where a people are applying for positions which give them access to children or vulnerable persons, they must disclose all convictions, including any convictions that could otherwise be deemed spent under the Bill. That policy is supported by the...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Yes. This is a difficult area and there is no monopoly of wisdom. My concern is exactly as articulated by Senators Ó Clochartaigh and van Turnhout, which is where individuals have got on with their lives and put their past behind them, it seems extremely unfair that some 20 years later the past might catch up with them. Of course that is a concern. On the other hand, however, we are...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I will attempt to provide some clarity. While I cannot guarantee I will, I will do my best. Effectively, when the Bill comes into force, anyone who already is a party to an employment contract, permission or placement can continue in the position he or she is in. The club or organisation or whatever that employed him or her is not committing an illegality under the legislation by retaining...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The answer to that is one could not, because the organisation will be under an obligation to have an individual vetted. However, section 21(4) may shed a little light on this matter. It states "This Part (other than section 12) shall, with any necessary modifications, apply to an application for retrospective vetting disclosure as it applies to an application for vetting disclosure under...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I do not think the delay is five to six months. On the basis of additional staff being deployed to the vetting office, a point was reached where vetting applications in the normal course, except in cases in which there was something unexpected or an exceptional difficulty, were being determined within two to three weeks.

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Department got down to two to three weeks. Recently, because of the huge additional amount of work that office apparently is getting, even without this Bill being enacted, the time for vetting decisions to be made has moved out to six to eight weeks. New staff have been recruited to the vetting office, whose training probably is just about being completed around now, who have been...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: First, I will deal with the amendment, which I am unable to accept as it would contravene the provisions of a range of existing Acts. In this context, it should be borne in mind that all of the organisations listed in Schedule 2 have a statutory power provided by the Oireachtas to conduct inquiries into child safety matters, or inquiries into the fitness to practice of persons engaged in...

Seanad: National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Senator probably sleeps with the Children First guidelines and is completely familiar with them.