Results 13,961-13,980 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Station Closures (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Programme for a Partnership Government recognises that community policing is the embodiment of An Garda Síochána, providing a means of recognising that every community – both urban and rural – has its own concerns and expectations. It commits the Government to ensuring visible, effective and responsive policing in every community, including the most minimal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that an application was received from the person referred to by the Deputy on the 12/01/2015. This application was refused on the 06/03/2015 and the original decision was upheld on appeal. An appeal refusal letter was issued to the applicant on the 21/04/2015. It is of course open to the applicant to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Companies Act 2014, which is the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, entered into force on 1 June 2015 and has updated and codified company law in this jurisdiction; it continues to provide a range of possible remedies for debenture holders and lending institutions in the event of a borrower encountering financial difficulties. These include...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146, 148 and 149 together. The Programme for a Partnership Government prioritises a significant programme of investment in An Garda Síochána with an overarching goal of continuing the accelerated recruitment programme with a view to increasing Garda numbers to 15,000, to double the Garda Reserve and to increase further civilianisation to free up...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Strength (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keeps this distribution under continuing review taking into account crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Releases (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that figures in relation to the number of prisoners currently on temporary release are published on their website www.irishprisons.ie on a daily basis. As advised to the Deputy on 21st April, 2016 in my written response No. 44, the Irish Prison Service do not collate information related to re-incarceration in the format requested by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Station Closures (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Programme for a Partnership Government recognises that community policing is the embodiment of An Garda Síochána, providing a means of recognising that every community – both urban and rural – has its own concerns and expectations. It commits the Government to ensuring visible, effective and responsive policing in every community, including the most minimal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders Data (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to inform the Deputy that a Deportation Order requires a person to remove themselves from the State and it is only where they fail to do so that the State is forced to remove them and enforce the rule of law. The process leading to deportation is extensive with many avenues of appeal, including judicial review in the High Court, open to persons subject to Deportation Orders. In...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Policing Plans (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government is focused on maintaining and enhancing public confidence in policing in Ireland, while continuing to support the men and women of An Garda Síochána in their day-to-day work of keeping our communities and country safe. This means firstly overseeing continued reform of the accountability and oversight of policing in Ireland; and secondly delivering on a programme of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Levels (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the publication of recorded crime statistics. To be of assistance, I have requested the CSO to contact the Deputy directly in relation to the information requested. I am advised that Garda management constantly monitor the distribution of policing resources in the light of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Missing Persons (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of personnel and resources within An Garda Síochána. All incidents where persons have been reported missing remain under investigation until such time as the person is located and I am informed that the Garda authorities are satisfied that adequate resources are in place in relation to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Investigations (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, the provision and allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the light of identified operational demands. In this regard I am informed that the Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT) continues to review serious cases that remain unsolved and continues to identify evidence and witnesses to assist in the development of these cases. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Rehabilitation Programmes (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that it provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to persons in custody that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes offer purposeful activity to those in custody while serving their sentences and encouraging them to lead law abiding lives on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Spent Convictions Legislation (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The 7 year waiting period before convictions, including convictions for driving offences, can become spent was adopted in the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016 taking account of a number of factors. Not least of these in the case of driving offences are the provisions of the Road Traffic Acts. The 7 year period takes account of the mandatory driving...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Trafficking (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy is aware, a second National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking In Ireland, setting out Ireland's anti human trafficking strategy for the coming years, has been drafted. The Plan was developed in cooperation and consultation with our national and international partners and has regard to our commitments under international instruments and developments at European...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Trafficking (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy is aware, a second National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking In Ireland, setting out Ireland's anti human trafficking strategy for the coming years, has been drafted. The Plan was developed in cooperation and consultation with our national and international partners and has regard to our commitments under international instruments and developments at European...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Promotions (17 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keeps this distribution under continuing review taking into account crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. Appointments to the ranks of sergeant and...

Leaders' Questions (18 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Deputy. The first thing I would like to do is put on the record of this House what the commission said about Sergeant McCabe. It stated:Some people, wrongly and unfairly, cast aspersions on Sergeant McCabe’s motives; others were ambivalent about them. Sergeant McCabe acted out of genuine and legitimate concerns, and the commission unreservedly accepts his bona fides....

Leaders' Questions (18 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: To answer the Deputy's question, we did authorise, develop and establish this new mechanism for accountability with the Policing Authority. It is an independent body, a point made by many Members of the House when we went through the legislation on it. It would not be right for me to try to prescribe the work of the authority, but I take the point made by the Deputy. I have already said I...

Leaders' Questions (18 May 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have already made it very clear that we will have a number of opportunities to have further and detailed discussions on the commission of investigation. There is the independent Policing Authority. I reject the Deputy's assertion about the powers of that body. It has an oversight role in relation to An Garda Síochána which I have no doubt it will fulfil very well. It has...