Results 16,381-16,400 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Protection (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The position is that while revenue sheriffs are formally appointed by the Minister for Justice and Equality, their primary statutory function is to collect outstanding tax and interest liabilities on behalf of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners under section 962 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, as amended. They are not accountable to the Minister for Justice and Equality for their...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Practitioners (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I can advise the Deputy that there are a total of 86 Personal Insolvency Practitioners (PIPs) currently authorised by the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI). In addition, there are 53 individuals within 21 Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) companies authorised to act as Authorised Intermediaries. Details on a county basis are set out in the following table. I am advised that the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Cross-Border Co-operation (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: My latest meeting with the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice, David Ford MLA, was on Thursday last, 5 December, in the margins of the meeting of the EU Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers in Brussels. We had an informal discussion on a number of issues, including that of North-South police co-operation and the programme of personnel exchanges, secondments and lateral entry...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Act (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: It is a matter for a Personal Insolvency Practitioner to formulate an individual arrangement between an insolvent debtor and all of the creditors that may be involved in his or her financial situation. Details of Personal Insolvency Practitioners based around the country are available on the Insolvency Service of Ireland website at www.isi.gov.ie. There is also a Guide to a Personal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Location of Victims' Remains (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I meet regularly with my Northern Ireland counterparts to discuss a full range of cross-Border criminal justice and policing issues of mutual interest. Naturally, issues related to the victims of crime and of troubles-related incidents feature in our discussions. The House will be aware that there is one very particular group of victims created over the course of the conflict in Northern...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Investigations (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I regret that the information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy when the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Money Laundering (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy will be aware, money laundering is a method by which criminals seek to disguise the illegal origins of their wealth and protect their asset bases, so as to avoid the suspicion of law enforcement agencies and to prevent leaving a trail of incriminating evidence. While money laundering is an offence of itself, it would of course be reasonable to consider it closely associated...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The investigation of any allegation of criminality is a matter for An Garda Síochána, and my office has no direct role in this regard. The Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 makes it an offence for any person to deliberately withhold information regarding sexual and other serious offences committed against a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I am considering amendments to the existing legislation on presumption of paternity within the proposed General Scheme of the Children and Family Relationships Bill which I hope to finalise shortly. I understand that under the current presumptions, particular birth registration difficulties can arise for women who have children with a subsequent partner after the break-up of a marriage, but...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Divisional Headquarters (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The provision of a new Garda Divisional Headquarters in Galway was included in the special Government stimulus package announced in July 2012. It is intended that this project will be delivered by means of a Public Private Partnership and the necessary work involved is being undertaken by the relevant agencies. As the arrangements to be put in place for Public Private Partnerships are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011, which has completed Second Stage and is continuing Committee Stage, gives legislative expression to the commitment in the Programme for Government to "establish independent regulation of the legal professions to improve access and competition, make legal costs more transparent and ensure adequate procedures for addressing consumer complaints"....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Bail Provisions (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: A decision to grant bail in a particular case is a matter for the court, which is, subject only to the Constitution and the law, independent in the exercise of its judicial functions. There is a constitutional presumption in favour of bail, since, in the eyes of the law, a person is innocent until proven guilty. The provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights also restrict the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Judicial Working Group (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the new arrangement that the Government has facilitated in the form of a Working Group chaired by the Chief Justice and comprising the Presidents of the Courts and other representative judges. The Attorney General, who has traditionally acted as the formal link with the Judiciary, also attends the Group accompanied by the Secretary General to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Sentencing Policy (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy will appreciate, judges are independent in the matter of sentencing, as in other matters concerning the exercise of judicial functions, subject only to the Constitution and the law. The approach of the Oireachtas has generally been to specify in law a maximum penalty for an offence, so that a court, having considered all the circumstances of a case, may impose an appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Magdalen Laundries Issues (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: Legislation is required in order to implement Judge Quirke's recommendation with regard to the provision of medical services to the women who were admitted to and worked in the relevant institutions. My Department in consultation with the Department of Health are working on the preparation of the necessary legislation. The issue of providing medical services to women, eligible under the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Home Repossession Rate (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I wish to inform the Deputy that, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, which include the provision of information on the courts system. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the area referred to is in the Coolock Garda District and that local Garda management closely monitor the incidence of burglary in the area and put in place appropriate responses. In that regard I am further informed that Garda data shows a decrease in burglaries in the Coolock Garda District, which includes Dublin 17, in line with the national...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: Following areview of the training for Garda recruits, a revised training programme has been introduced in the Garda College. In light of this and in view of the fact that the existing Garda recruitment panel was approximately five years old, the Commissioner determined, with my consent, that the maximum number of recruits were recruited from that panel. People not called from that panel...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The maximum recruitment age at which candidates may apply to join the Garda Síochána as a full time member is set by regulation at not more than 35 years. The current maximum age applies without discrimination to everyone, including members of the Garda Reserve, and I have no plans to change it. This upper age limit of 35 was set having regard to equality legislation and also...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The person concerned entered the State on 27th December, 2007 and was granted permission to remain until 7th February, 2012, on student conditions. The person concerned was granted permission to remain, again on student conditions, for a further period of six weeks, valid to 9th September, 2013, in order to finalise his affairs in the State and to leave the State by that date. The person...