Results 16,721-16,740 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Visiting Committees Data (13 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a Visiting Committee is assigned to each of the current 12 prisons and places of detention under the Prison (Visiting Committees) Act, 1925 and Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order, 1925. Each committee is to consist of such number of responsible persons, not being more than twelve nor less than six, as the Minister shall think proper. At present there are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Transport (13 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I can advise the Deputy that the Prison Service Escort Corp was established in 2005 on an independent basis within the Irish Prison Service to provide a prisoner escorting service.  Prison Service Escort Corp is a dedicated corps of staff whose task is to escort prisoners to and from court.  All prisoners have the right to make a complaint at any time and all...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (13 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for managing An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters, and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps the 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...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (13 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the House for taking these two important motions this afternoon. The House will be aware that the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 was enacted in the wake of the barbaric murder by the Real IRA of 29 innocent people in Omagh in August 1998. That act of depravity was an affront to humanity and democracy, and it lingers long in our memory. This legislation is a robust...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (13 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I am grateful to the House for its consideration of these two motions. I thank Senators on all sides for their contributions to the debate. Naturally, I particularly welcome the support expressed by a number of speakers for the continuation of these provisions. I appreciate the shared commitment in the House to maintaining in place what is a robust legal framework for the Garda and the...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (13 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The renewal of section 8 of the 2009 Act is a contribution to the overall framework of measures in seeking to tackle organised crime. It cannot, of itself, address this scourge in society but it can be a support to the overall work that is ongoing. We cannot ignore the activities of so-called dissident paramilitaries; neither can we ignore the grave threat posed by gang-related crime, in...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I am pleased that Deputy Howlin indicated that contact is ongoing. Work is proceeding apace. I am sure the Deputy will acknowledge that there are certain complexities and it is important that we get matters right. There are approximately four weeks left of the session. It is unlikely that the Bill will be enacted by the summer recess but I will work with Deputy Howlin towards ensuring we...

EU Regulation: Motion (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I move:That Dáil Éireann approve Regulation (EU) 2018/1727 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 on the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), and replacing and repealing Council Decision 2002/187/JHA [Considered by the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality on 12th June, 2019].

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Treatment of Former Garda (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter in the House. I very much welcome the swift action taken by the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, to apologise for the treatment of Ms Majella Moynihan and the impact it has had on her life since when he became aware of her case on Saturday. I have echoed this apology in a brief statement which I released over the weekend and I intend to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Treatment of Former Garda (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: You are in this House a long time, Acting Chairman, and in this House over the years we have dealt with many sensitive and tragic personal cases. Deputies will appreciate that as Minister I have an obligation to respect the privacy of individuals as much as possible. As I outlined, I hope to meet with Ms Moynihan, along with the Garda Commissioner in the coming days. A number of important...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act. The fees to be paid by an applicant for a certificate of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Leave Framework Agreement (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Parental Leave Act 1998, generally, does not provide for the transfer of unpaid parental leave between parents. Section 6(6) of the Act provides that where two or more parents are entitled to parental leave, neither of the parents shall be entitled to (a) the parental leave of any other parent, or (b) to transfer any part of the period of their parental leave...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 265 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the Judicial Council Bill was published in June 2017 and completed Committee Stage in the Seanad relatively recently. I will be bringing forward amendments to the Bill for consideration at Report Stage in the Seanad on 20 June next. Those amendments will provide for the establishment of a Personal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Privacy (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised that the Irish Prison Service sought clarification from the Deputy's Office regarding the type of breach being referred to in this PQ. The Deputy's Office rephrased the question as follows: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality, the number of breaches of confidence related to the personal or private information of a prisoner during the period of May 2018-May 2019, as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Staff (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I can advise the Deputy that, within the Irish Prison Service, the divulging of information regarding prisoners' private affairs is viewed as a very serious matter. In the course of an officer's work he or she may have access to, or hear information concerning the personal affairs of a prisoner and/or employee. Such information is strictly confidential. Any member of the Irish Prison...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is statutorily responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters, and I, as Minister, do not have responsibility for this matter. Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Expenditure (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. Very significant capital investment is also being made in An Garda Síochána, including investment of €342 million in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021 and investment of €46 million in the Garda fleet...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drugs Crime (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: Ireland has a robust legislative framework in place allowing for the freezing, seizure and confiscation of assets that are derived from criminal conduct. Responsibility for the identification, tracing, freezing, and ultimate confiscation of criminal assets does not rest with a single body in Ireland and is, instead, spread across a number of different agencies and statutory bodies, not all of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Complaints Procedures (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 233 and 234 together. I am advised by my officials in the Irish Prison Service that the information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number complaints, including category A complaints, received in 2018 and to date in 2019 that were upheld, not upheld, not proven, terminated or incomplete is contained in the tables attached. The 2019 figures are as at...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Station Closures (18 Jun 2019)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources made available to An Garda Síochána. This includes responsibility for the formulation of proposals in relation to the opening and closing of Garda stations. Indeed the Deputy may recall that as recently as December 2018, the Garda...