Results 14,921-14,940 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Terrorism (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: Protecting the State and the people from terrorism and supporting international peace and security are amongst the highest priorities for the Government.  Ireland, like many other open and democratic states, faces a threat from international terrorism, money laundering and terrorist financing activity.  Legal, regulatory and operational measures are in place to target...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will be aware that the resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion.  This represents an increase of over 6% over the initial allocation for 2018. In terms of capital investment, €342 million is being invested in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The Government is totally committed to preventing and addressing domestic violence and the recently commenced Domestic Violence Act 2018 significantly strengthens the civil and legal protections available to victims. It is important that frontline Gardaí understand the nature of this legislation in order to effectively respond to victims. Training is crucial in this regard. As you...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The regulatory reform of the legal services sector has been taking place since the enactment of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 and the establishment of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority, which is independent in the performance of its functions, on 1 October 2016.  The Act is the vehicle for the relevant reforms which include, under Part 6, the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Protected Disclosures (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: Under the Protected Disclosures Act introduced by the then Government in 2014, members of An Garda Síochána may communicate their concerns to the Garda Commissioner, as their employer if they so choose, or they may make a disclosure to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), which is a statutorily independent body, for investigation.  The legislation...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Protected Disclosures Data (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The principal objectives of the Protected Disclosure Act 2014 are to encourage staff to make Protected Disclosures at the earliest opportunity and to provide protection where such disclosures are made.  I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service issued a revised Protected Disclosures Policy on 1st July 2018.  The Policy is aimed at supporting the Irish Prison...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Stations (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to An Garda Síochána, and that the programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda accommodation is progressed by the Garda authorities working in close cooperation with the Office of Public Works (OPW), which has responsibility...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Investigations (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I have met with members of the family of the person concerned in this tragic case in the past and it is my intention to meet with them again in the near future at an appropriate time.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Brexit Issues (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the potential implications of Brexit, including as they relate to rights and equality. In respect of Irish citizens in Northern Ireland, as my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has previously confirmed to the House, the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Order Offences (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the manner in which Garda resources are deployed is solely a matter for the Garda Commissioner and his management team and I, as Minister, have no direct role in this regard. However, I am assured that Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Brexit Issues (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is coordinating the whole-of-Government response to Brexit.  In this capacity, he is working closely with all Ministers, including myself, to address, in a joined up manner, the many challenges Brexit will present. In keeping with Government policy, there are no plans to provide for a hard...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Bail Law (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I can assure the Deputy that addressing the issue of offences committed by persons while on bail is a priority for this Government.  The Criminal Justice Act 2017, enacted on 28 June 2017, made a number of changes to the bail laws with the aim of strengthening the bail system and making the law as effective as possible in protecting the public against crimes committed by persons on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this matter and he will note that my colleague, David Stanton, T.D, Minister for Equality, Immigration and Integration launched this report last month. The report provides us with a valuable insight into public perceptions of migrants and migration in Ireland, and it is encouraging to see the largely positive and welcoming attitudes to migrants. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy is aware, the manner in which the resources of the Garda Síochána are deployed is solely a matter for the Garda Commissioner and his management team and I, as Minister, have no direct role in this regard. I am informed by the Commissioner that Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Levels (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As outlined to the Deputy previously, it is my understanding that the information being sought in relation to this knife crime is not available through the Central Statistics Office (CSO) at this time. I also note the CSO has further explained the reasoning for its decision in relation to this category of crime. While the CSO's official crime figures remain...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Commission on the Future of Policing Reports (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: On 18 December 2018, the Government endorsed the Commission’s report and accepted all 157 key recommendations. I also published a high level plan, ‘A Policing Service for the Future’, which sets out the approach to implementation over the next four years of the Commission’s recommendations, which will be overseen by a dedicated programme office in the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Policing Issues (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: In accordance with section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the direction and control of An Garda Síochána. In exercising this function the Garda Commissioner ensures that relevant policing developments in other jurisdictions are reviewed on an on-going basis so that international best practice can be identified and, where...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has completed a study to identify and recommend appropriate methodologies to measure the cost of gender-based and intimate partner violence in EU-28 Member States. Three main types of costs were identified: lost economic output, provision of services, including health, legal, social and specialised; and the personal (physical and emotional)...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Constitutional Amendments (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The Government has approved the holding of a referendum to amend the constitutional provisions on divorce.  The referendum will be held alongside the votes for the European and local elections in late May 2019. I believe that it is important to have broad consensus in the Oireachtas for the proposal that will be put to the people. In that regard, I have recently engaged in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Visiting Regulations (30 Jan 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I am informed by my officials in the Irish Prison Service that the Service is committed to prisoners maintaining the relationships they have with their children. The Irish Prison Service established a Families and Imprisonment Group in 2014, which is chaired by a prison Governor and includes representatives from Tusla, The Childhood Development Initiative, the Probation Service, the...