Results 13,881-13,900 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Commissions of Investigation (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, is the line Minister with direct responsibility. The HSE has received details of complaints from all dioceses subject to the audit, the persons against whom the complaints have been made, the information on reporting. The HSE is in the process of cross-referencing this information with the Garda records. The Garda Síochána is fully committed...

Commissions of Investigation (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Any extension of the investigation would involve costs to the Exchequer. The cost to date of the commission on the Dublin archdiocese is in the region of €4.4 million. This does not include third party costs which will follow. The Cloyne investigation costs are in the region of €1 million to date. The question of extending it to 21 other dioceses or even the diocese of Raphoe would...

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: It is not possible to provide figures to the Deputy for all forms of temporary release as this would require the manual examination of records. Such an examination would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort. It could not be justified in current circumstances when there are other significant demands on resources. However, I am advised by the director...

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I do not deny there are problems in some of our prisons. I have said this many times in the House and that we are endeavouring to deal with them. I am not going to take political criticism, however, from Deputy Charles Flanagan. The last time his party was in government, it did not build one prison cell in its four years in office. It actually cancelled the building of the Dóchas and...

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Yes it did because Deputy Quinn was the Minister for Finance at the time and I recall he cancelled those projects.

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: One cannot build a prison overnight. In my tenure as Minister, 1,750 prison spaces have been built. Deputy Charles Flanagan always claims I closed the Spike Island facility.

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Spike Island and Curragh facilities would have not lasted a day if they were tested for the infringement of human rights. These were not only uneconomic to run but their conditions would have infringed upon people's human rights. The moneys realised when the Shanganagh facility was sold have been used to buy the Thornton Hall site. It is ironic the Deputy is criticising the Government's...

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy asked the number of prisoners on temporary release in April 2010. I gave him the figure, 836 persons.

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Considering there are approximately 4,100 persons in prison, this averages out at 0.86%.

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: No. Up to 36 prisoners are granted temporary release per day which is 0.86% of the average number in custody in April. It is a bit ironic for Deputy Charles Flanagan to criticise these figures considering the figures when his party was last in office. It has been suggested Ireland's prison statistics are out of line with other countries. In 2008, the prison population was well below the...

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Deputy Charles Flanagan is the very person who recently suggested that instead of cutting back on remission by 25%, more avenues should be given to encourage people to behave in prison. He is speaking with a forked tongue on this matter.

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: As Minister I have endeavoured to work with the temporary release system, provided the Garda and the Prison Service are satisfied the general public's safety is not at risk, to reintegrate people into society.

Temporary Release of Prisoners (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I make no apologies for that.

Tribunals of Inquiry (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Smithwick tribunal was established in 2005 by resolutions passed in both Houses of the Oireachtas to investigate suggestions that members of the Garda Síochána, or other employees of the State, colluded in the fatal shootings of RUC Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and RUC Superintendent Robert Buchanan on 20 March 1989. The resolution establishing the tribunal requires that it reports...

Tribunals of Inquiry (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: As the Leas-Cheann Comhairle stated, I am not responsible for this or to the House in respect of this matter.

Tribunals of Inquiry (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: It is safe to say that officials in my Department have been in contact with Mr. Justice Smithwick in respect of the ongoing development of his investigation. It is also fair to say that he is endeavouring to carry out much of the work outside of public session to obviate the necessity for long public hearings. He does not have the full say in respect of how long the hearings will take place...

Tribunals of Inquiry (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: That is the point but the question has been put and I must answer it as best I can, in the knowledge that the Government did not set up the tribunal. The tribunal is answerable to the House and if the House wishes to express anything about five years, it is a matter for the House if Members have a problem with it. I understand from my officials, who have been in discussion with the tribunal...

Judicial Appointments (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: As the House is aware, necessary consultations with the Judiciary on the details of my proposals for a judicial council Bill have been ongoing for some time. I am pleased to report there has been renewed progress in these consultations in recent weeks. Following a plenary meeting of the Judiciary on 8 May 2010, the Chief Justice has indicated the welcome and support of the Judiciary for the...

Judicial Appointments (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: No. Primarily it will relate to judicial misconduct, not the issue of sentencing. As the Deputy is aware, a programme is being put in place by the Courts Service, funded by the Exchequer in respect of a system whereby a database of judgments will be available to the Judiciary to enable it to examine and research comparative sentencing models throughout the country. I welcome this because...

Judicial Appointments (13 May 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Yes, and that money is available to the Courts Service. Digital audio recording technology has been installed across a substantial element of the courts system, including all Central Criminal Courts, the High Courts, Family Law Courts, Special Criminal Courts and Circuit Courts, both criminal and civil. Installation of digital audio recording for the Four Courts complex, which includes the...