Results 11,401-11,420 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently considering the introduction of a targeted Voluntary Redundancy Scheme in parts of the Public Service, primarily to address the issue of staff surpluses where staff cannot be redeployed within the system. Given the fact that the Defence Forces are currently below strength and that recruitment is ongoing, there are no plans to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently considering the introduction of a targeted Voluntary Redundancy Scheme in parts of the Public Service, primarily to address the issue of staff surpluses, where such staff cannot be redeployed within the system. I am not aware of any proposal for the introduction of a separate early retirement scheme or that consideration is being...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff Remuneration (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Government decision on the Department of Expenditure and Reform’s Review of Allowances and Premium Payments recognised that there are possible weaknesses in the pay structures applicable in the Defence Forces as these structures have evolved over very many years and have become increasingly complex. It was therefore decided that a review of the overall pay structures for the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: European Council Meetings (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: During each European Union Presidency both formal and informal meetings of Defence Ministers are held. There is no separate Defence Ministers' Council within the EU Council of Ministers. However, twice a year - once during each Presidency - Defence Ministers attend the formal Foreign Affairs Council in Defence Ministers’ Format. These Council meetings are held in Brussels or...

Seanad: Europol Bill 2012: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I cannot accept the proposed amendment. It is not appropriate or necessary. The Europol national unit a the unit of the Garda Síochána as much as the crime policy and operational support units are units of it. The staffing of any unit within the force is a matter for the Garda Commissioner in accordance with his functions under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Assignments...

Seanad: Europol Bill 2012: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Again, I am sorry to inform the Senator that I will not be accepting the amendments. Our obligation is to transpose each and every article of an EU Council decision that is relevant from a domestic perspective. Section 5 gives effect to Article 7, paragraph 1, of the Council decision which states, "Member States shall deal with any request by Europol to initiate an investigation..."....

Seanad: Europol Bill 2012: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Amendments Nos. 3 and 6 as outlined by the Senator add to the grounds for refusal of assistance to Europol by seeking to include ?jeopardising the human rights of a person.? Amendment No. 3 is to section 5 and seeks to add the new ground for refusal to those already listed as reasons for refusing to provide information to Europol as set out in subsection (2). That subsection gives effect to...

Seanad: Europol Bill 2012: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I cannot accept the amendment, the effect of which would be to remove the need for the head of the national unit to be satisfied that information provided will not be further disseminated without the prior consent of the unit and, instead, would require the head of the unit to receive a guarantee that information would not be so disseminated. In theory, the amendment could give rise to a...

Seanad: Europol Bill 2012: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am refusing the amendment as it is unnecessary. Section 10 already provides for the deletion of data in subsection (1)(a) and (b). This is a drafting matter. The amendment would be superfluous.

Seanad: Europol Bill 2012: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I cannot accept amendment No. 9. This amendment requires the crimes in which Europol is competent to be listed in guidelines prepared following the enactment of the Bill. I cannot for the life of me understand why the amendment is being proposed. Perhaps Senator Ó Clochartaigh will choose to withdraw the amendment because it makes no sense. Under section 1, a criminal offence is defined...

Seanad: Europol Bill 2012: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am sure it will come as a great shock to the Senator when I say that I cannot accept the amendment. He is seeking to require the national unit to forward requests for personal data to Europol within 14 days instead of 30 days. I appreciate the argument for reducing the timeframe for the forwarding to Europol of requests for personal data. However, the timeframe of one month is set out in...

Seanad: Europol Bill 2012: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I thank the Members of the Seanad for their consideration of the Bill and for the support given to it and its principles. This is a very important Bill and its importance should not be diminished. It was useful to read out the annexe to the Bill, which lists the multiplicity of serious crimes in respect of which Europol can play a role in the mutual exchange of information and in the...

Order of Business (19 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: To what legislation is the Deputy referring?

National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: From the Seanad (19 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: There are two Seanad amendments before the House. The first deals with the chief bureau officer who is to report periodically directly to the Garda Commissioner in respect of the performance and management of the functions of the bureau. Amendment No. 1 inserts a new subsection between lines 40 and 41 on page 24. The purpose of this amendment is to make it clear in the Bill that the chief...

Personal Insolvency Bill 2012: From the Seanad (19 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I welcome the opportunity to return to the House to report on further amendments made to the Bill in Seanad Éireann. A total of 245 amendments were proposed and approved during Committee and Report Stages of the Bill in the Seanad. These were all Government amendments and were, for the most part, technical changes or text corrections. The Long Title of the Bill was amended to take...

Personal Insolvency Bill 2012: From the Seanad (19 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: It is in the seventh grouping.

Personal Insolvency Bill 2012: From the Seanad (19 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: No, it is not included in these amendments. I was just making some opening comments. When we come to the seventh group of amendments, we will deal specifically with specialist judges. I was just making an opening comment on it.

Personal Insolvency Bill 2012: From the Seanad (19 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: These amendments relate to the organisation, functions and governance of the insolvency service itself. In operating the new debt relief notice, debt settlement arrangement and the personal insolvency arrangement, the insolvency service will, for maximum effectiveness and efficiency, operate on a paperless basis to the greatest extent possible with electronic completion and transmission of...

Personal Insolvency Bill 2012: From the Seanad (19 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Having excluded reference to amendment No. 24 in that commentary, allow me to get out the notes on that amendment and address it. Amendment No. 24 states "Nothing in this Act shall be construed as preventing the Insolvency Service, in the performance of its functions under this Act, from sending or receiving documents or other information, or otherwise communicating, by electronic means"....

Personal Insolvency Bill 2012: From the Seanad (Resumed) (19 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Perhaps I should come in at this point. These amendments relate to the issue of reasonable living expenses. Amendment No 23 empowers the insolvency service to draw up guidelines in respect of a reasonable standard of living and reasonable living expenses for debtors. These guidelines are referenced in sections 24, 60(4), 95(4) and section 85D, as inserted by section 146 of the Bill, of the...