Results 14,821-14,840 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 74 together. I am advised by the Garda authorities that prior to the regulation of certain psychotropic substances on 11 May, 2010 there had been 102 Head shops operating in the State. Following on the banning of these substances, supplemented by an intensive Garda operation, on 4 June, 2010 36 headshops were known to be operating nationwide. On 14 June...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: A number of the measures in the Special Group Report (McCarthy) have been implemented at this stage in order to achieve reductions in the Departments Estimates for 2010. These relate to the programmes in a range of subheads which include Gender Mainstreaming, Graffiti Removal Operations, Equality Monitoring Consultative Committees, European Refugee Fund and Refugee Integration. The McCarthy...

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66, 67, 83, 84 and 177 together. The number of applications for retirement received from 2002 to 2009 and to-date in 2010 in An Garda Síochána are set out in the table. While there was a significant increase in retirements in 2009, the rate of retirement has since slowed, with some 61 applications for early retirement received so far this year. The...

Written Answers — Bail Laws: Bail Laws (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The number of offences being committed by persons on bail is a matter of concern. The operation of the legislation relating to bail is kept under continuing review by my Department, and proposals for amendment of the legislation are brought forward when that is considered necessary. A decision to grant bail in a particular case is a matter for the court, which is, subject only to the...

Written Answers — Joint Policing Committees: Joint Policing Committees (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Joint Policing Committees are provided for in the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Their purpose is to provide a forum where An Garda Síochána and the local authority - the two organisations which make the most significant contribution to preventing and tackling crime in a specific area - can come together, with the participation of members of the Oireachtas and community and voluntary...

Written Answers — Missing Persons: Missing Persons (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I have been informed by the Garda authorities that from June 2009 to May 2010 a total of 527 persons of non-Irish nationality and a further 40 persons of unknown nationality were reported missing. I am further informed that of these 567 persons 509 have been recorded as found. I am also informed by the Garda authorities that compiling statistics prior to June 2009 on foreign nationals...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Garda Commissioner and I signed the contract for an outsourced safety camera network with the preferred service provider in November, 2009 following a tender and evaluation process. In accordance with the provisions of the contract, rollout of the national safety camera network is scheduled to commence in October, 2010 and will increase to full capacity by the end of January 2011. An...

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Details of the number of Deportation Orders signed and effected in the period 1st January 2008 to 31st May 2010 are set out in the following table. Deportation Orders Signed and Effected Year Number of Deportation Orders Signed Number of Deportation Orders Effected 2008 757 161 2009 1077 291 2010 353 126 Total 2187 578 Under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999, the Minister for...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda authorities that all vehicles reported stolen to An Garda Síochána are recorded on the Garda Síochána PULSE system, which is available to all members of An Garda Síochána on a 24 hour basis. An Garda Síochána also has access to the National Vehicle File, which provides vehicle registration information. Since 2008 An Garda Síochána has had the ability,...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The position is that the Multi-Unit Developments Bill 2009 is currently awaiting resumption of Second Stage in the Dail having completed all stages in the Seanad.

Written Answers — Garda Reserve: Garda Reserve (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am pleased to say that there are now 555 attested Garda Reserve members with an additional 180 student Reserves in training, 83 of whom are expected to graduate this coming Friday. Garda Reserve members are allocated to Garda stations throughout the country, a list of which I am circulating with this answer. The Government has set a target strength for the Reserve at 10% of the full time...

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am satisfied that proposals to reduce the need for analyses in all cases to be conducted by the Forensic Science Laboratory will have full regard to all the legal requirements at issue.

Written Answers — Sentencing Policy: Sentencing Policy (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The judiciary has been developing, under a pilot project, a system to gather relevant criteria and to allow access to information about the range of sentences and other penalties which have been imposed for particular types of offence. This will be a valuable support to judges when considering the sentence to be imposed in an individual case. The pilot project is overseen by a steering...

Written Answers — Community Policing: Community Policing (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The figures available at the end of May 2010 show that there are 1,068 members of the Garda Síochána specifically assigned to community policing out of a total attested strength of 14,571. By comparison, at the end of 2007, 630 members were assigned to community policing, and the present number represents an increase of almost 70% on that figure. The Deputy will of course be aware that...

Written Answers — Crime Prevention: Crime Prevention (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 entered into force, in its entirety, on 23 July 2009. The primary purpose of the legislation, together with the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009, is to make additional measures available to An Garda Síochána to combat organised crime. Where there is justification and a legal basis, those suspected of involvement in...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Bill 2010, which was passed by the Seanad last week and is currently before this House, is part of the Government's multi-pronged approach targeting the sale of unregulated psychoactive substances. The primary vehicles for regulating psychoactive substances are the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 to 2007. On foot of the Government Order of 11 May...

Written Answers — Garda Complaints Procedures: Garda Complaints Procedures (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I welcome the 2009 Annual Report of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission which provides an update on the activities of the Commission for the year ending 31 December 2009, the second full calendar year of the Commission's operations. I am pleased to note that GSOC has carried out a re-structuring of its Divisions which has had the effect of producing greater efficiencies and resulted...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda authorities that during the period 1998 to 2010 (to 24 June) 196 murders involving a firearm were recorded. To date proceedings have commenced in 58 of these cases, and 24 convictions secured. All cases of murder where proceedings have not yet been taken remain under active Garda investigation. The detection rate by its nature increases over time as Garda...

Written Answers — Drug Courts: Drug Courts (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I recently published a Review of the Drug Treatment Court which, amongst other key issues, specifically addressed the questions raised by the Deputy. The findings of the Review suggest that participants who engage with the Drug Treatment Court programme have reduced rates of recidivism and improved health, education and social skills which impact positively on the participants and the...

Written Answers — Garda Resources: Garda Resources (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda Commissioner, that following the publication of the Garda Inspectorate Report on Resource Allocation, Deputy Commissioner Strategy and Change Management was appointed to consider the report and to co-ordinate an agreed and pragmatic programme of work to advance the implementation of the twenty-seven recommendations. My officials will work closely with the Garda...