Results 15,041-15,060 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Waiver Programme (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The requirements for which countries are visa required to come to Ireland are kept under regular review in consultation with my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Government is pursuing a strategy of greater co-ordination and co-operation on visa issues with the United Kingdom in the context of the Common Travel Area (CTA). This is exemplified by the operation...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drugs Crime (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau continues to lead out the policing strategy for tackling drugs supply working closely with the local Divisional Drug Units across the State including in the Border, Midlands, West Region area. This approach allows for the co-ordinated use of Garda resources in tackling all forms of organised crime, including illicit drug activity nationwide. As...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 79 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Districts. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Property Services Regulation (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The position is that the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 was enacted with the primary purposes of reforming the law relating to the ownership and management of common areas of multi-unit developments and facilitating the fair, efficient and effective management of owners' management companies (OMCs). These are companies registered under the Companies Act, the members of which are the owners...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Valuation Office (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can inform the Deputy that the Commissioner of Valuation has responsibility under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015 to maintain a valuation list for each Local Authority, of all commercial properties in that Local Authority area, which is used to calculate the rates due from individual ratepayers. Section 9(10) of the Act provides that the Commissioner is independent in the performance of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Proceedings (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of the official recorded crime statistics, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose. I understand that while statistics in relation to fraud offences generally are produced, the breakdown in relation to insurance fraud requested by the Deputy is not...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Strength (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 85 together. This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. I have been informed that as of the 31 May 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available there were 12,801 members of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Gangland Crime (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can assure the Deputy that tackling organised crime activity is a key ongoing priority for both the Government and An Garda Síochána. An Garda Síochána's Policing Plan sets out the priorities of An Garda Síochána in tackling organised crime activity including its continued commitment to pro-actively target groups and individuals engaged in criminal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of the official recorded crime statistics, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose. The success of the Garda measures to tackle burglary being implemented through Operation Thor is borne out by latest CSO crime figures which show a very significant...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 90 together. The Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities, which was launched in October 2015, sets out a ten-year approach to ensuring that people with disabilities who are able to, and want to, work are supported and enabled to do so and constitutes an action plan to deliver on these objections. People with disabilities are only...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Registration of Title (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can inform the Deputy that under the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006, the Property Registration Authority (PRA) was established as and from 4 November 2006. The PRA replaced the Registrar of Deeds and Titles as the registering authority in relation to property registration in Ireland and, subject to the above Act, is independent in the performance of its functions. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Districts. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources. I have been informed...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Promotions (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The appointments made by Government to the ranks of superintendent and chief superintendent in An Garda Síochána on 12 July were made in accordance with the statutory framework as set out in the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and related regulations. In particular the appointees were drawn in order of merit from panels formed on foot of competitions held by the Commissioner in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Criminal Law (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Part IV of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015 makes a number of amendments to prostitution offences contained in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993. The primary amendment inserts a new section 7A into the Act of 1993 to provide for a new offence criminalising the purchase of sexual services. Under this section it shall be an offence, where, in the context of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Titles (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The name of my Department remained unchanged on the formation of the new Government on 6 May 2016. There are no plans, at this time, to change the name of the Department.

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Let me put the Deputy's points into context. It is important to remember that the CSO is independent and has commented on its figures and some processes it intends to examine further. We regularly discuss the independence of bodies in the House when they report on various issues. The CSO is an independent body that reports on figures. The GDP figures released were affected by...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: It will not have any impact on the services because what is very clear, in particular in relation to dementia, is that there is a very strong commitment to increased investment. That is partly driven by the agreement between the Department of Health, the HSE and Atlantic Philanthropies, which represented a combined investment of €27.5 million. Just some weeks ago a total of...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The reality is that there is now further investment. The money is available and is being given as a priority to the Department of Health to increase home care packages. That is one of the specific goals within the increased investment. That will become more obvious in the weeks and months ahead. Because the economy is growing and we took the right decisions there is further investment in...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As Deputy McDonald recounted that individual story, everyone's thoughts in this House are with the family of the young man who lost his life so tragically. Mental health is a priority. We all know it has not been a priority in this country for decades but there is increased investment to ensure that young men and women get the kind of services they need at times of acute psychological...

Leaders' Questions (21 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is not simple rhetoric. It is borne out by the action plans that have been put in place already. Obviously, we all hear what the Deputy is saying about the particular situation in relation to Ryan and the tragedy that that is. However, make no mistake: we have a Minister of State for the Department of Health focusing on mental health issues and bringing forward plans. We have increased...