Results 15,461-15,480 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I merely wish to point out to Senator McDowell two things which he already knows but which he is reluctant to accept. First, the Senator is now critical of some departures from the strict expressions in the programme for Government, a programme with which he had a difficulty. In the spirit of openness and compromise, to quote Senator Bacik, I will say that any departure from the programme...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: -----arises from the type of debate we have been having. Second, Senator McDowell is incorrect when he speaks about the commission dictating to the Government. That cannot and will not happen under this Bill. In any event, it cannot happen under the Constitution. Throughout this debate people on all sides of the House have been very keen to ensure that nothing in this Bill in any way...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: That is very unfair from somebody who has served in government. For a former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and former Attorney General to reduce the debate to a children's game-----

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the Senator for the point he makes. There are circumstances in which the issue might be regarded as important. Senator McDowell's referred to the current judicial appointments process and the capacity of the Houses of the Oireachtas to in some way bind the Executive. If followed through on, that would be serious. I am not sure if the Senator can draw on any further evidence to...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: If Senator McDowell has formed the view, as I believe he has, that this is a case of Parliament exercising undue authority over the Executive or in some way attempting to muzzle Government, I do not accept that. We are dealing with consideration and Government will consider all matters in accordance with the constitutional provisions. To request that it gives consideration to proposals in a...

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I acknowledge the points raised by Deputy Ó Laoghaire and advise the House that in this Bill we are dealing with a no-deal scenario which would be the worst outcome of Brexit. We are dealing with what I describe as a catastrophic no-deal Brexit across a range of areas. As has been said numerous times, all sides of the House hope this legislation will not need to be relied on. It is in...

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputies' spots never change.

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: There are two issues I wish to develop. The first is on the amendments before us and the second is that Deputy Ó Laoghaire spent more time in his contribution addressing the amendments that were disallowed rather than on the others, but I am anxious to reassure the Deputy. The provisions in sections 88 and 89 are inserted for the purposes of correcting what has been something of a...

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I stress to Deputy Ó Laoghaire that we are dealing with this legislation solely in respect of the consequences of a crash out or a no-deal Brexit. We are looking at putting together a comprehensive contingency plan for that scenario. From the outset of the contingency planning, the need to ensure the protection of the citizenship provisions of the Good Friday Agreement was clear to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Disciplinary Proceedings (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, disciplinary matters within An Garda Síochána are governed by the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and the Garda Síochána (Discipline) Regulations 2007 and are a matter for the Garda Commissioner. I am advised by the Commissioner that no Garda Staff (civilian) were subject to official disciplinary action over the misuse of the PULSE...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Staff Data (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are no staff in my Department that are subject to disciplinary action over the misuse of computer information systems, electronic data or file storage systems or other information systems from 1 January 2018 to date.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Cyber Security Policy (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The security of the State and the people is a matter of the highest priority for the Government. I can assure the Deputy that, in the context of national security matters, the level of threat is kept under constant and active review by An Garda Síochána. My Department liaises on an on-going basis with An Garda Síochána in this regard. Considerable resources are deployed...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Equipment (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for carrying on and managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána as well as for decisions in relation to the allocation and management of Garda resources, including in relation to ICT. As Minister I have no direct...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Eligibility (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The principals of citizenship are based on either the nationality of the person’s parents. Alternatively, a request for naturalisation is based on fulfilling residence requirements. The granting of citizenship carries with it, for both of the applicant and the State, a number of obligations and the criteria for the granting of Irish citizenship are set down in the Irish Nationality...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Conventions (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: Significant progress has been made towards ensuring that Ireland is in a position to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (known as the "Lanzarote Convention") . The Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 has been enacted, Part 2 of which strengthens the law relating to the sexual exploitation of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Mediation Service (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: Mediation is a process for resolving disputes where those in dispute meet with a third party who helps them to negotiate an agreed resolution. The Family Mediation Service is provided by the Legal Aid Board. The waiting times for family mediation services as of the 28th February 2019 are set out on an office basis in the following table which has been provided to me by the Legal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Deportation Orders Re-examination (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned is the subject of a Deportation Order signed on 12 November 2018.   Representations were received on behalf of the person concerned requesting that the deportation order be revoked, pursuant to the provisions of Section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Mutual Legal Assistance (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will be aware that the provision of mutual legal assistance by Ireland to another state is governed by the Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act, 2008, which provides for, amongst other things, a legislative basis for the 1959 Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Assistance, to which both Ireland and Turkey are signatories. A request for Mutual Legal Assistance...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Advertising Expenditure (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: My Department made use of the advertising methods referenced as part of two information campaigns in 2018. These approaches allowed the campaigns to target specific demographic groups which were targets of the campaigns but which may not be readily accessed through traditional channels such as broadsheet newspaper advertising.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Advertising Expenditure (6 Mar 2019)

Charles Flanagan: My Department engaged with two such agencies in 2018 as part of the promotion of public information campaigns. The agencies were engaged in order to assist in targeting specific demographic groups which were targets of the campaigns but which may not be as effectively accessed through traditional channels such as broadsheet newspaper advertising.   PHD media were paid a...